Fights

Potentially huge news from Dana White ... who tells TMZ Sports he's considering making Michael Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje -- in a fight that could be one of the most violent matchups of all time!!

Chandler is coming off a tough loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 ... but MC flashed the K.O. power and explosiveness that fans have come to love in "Iron Michael."

Michael said he wants to get back in the mix and work his way back into a title picture ... and when we spoke to Dana, he told us he's considering #2 ranked lightweight, 32-year-old Gaethje as Chandler’s next opponent.

"That's a good question. I mean, there's a few opportunities," White says ... "He can fight Gaethje, we'll see. We don't have anything done yet but that makes sense and that'd be a fun fight. Imagine Chandler and Gaethje."

Gaethje is also coming off a tough loss. He was submitted in the 2nd round by Khabib at UFC 254 in October 2020 ... Nurmagomedov's final fight.

But, the bottom line is both Michael and Justin aren’t just top-level fighters... they're exciting as hell to watch.

Both men pack dynamite in their fists ... and have racked up 29 combined professional knockouts.

Now, it’s not a done deal ... but when Dana likes something, he usually finds a way to make it happen.

We also asked White about 28-year-old star, Mackenzie Dern ... and the UFC honcho broke some news.

Dana says Dern will face 34-year-old Marina Rodriguez -- who just beat Karate Hottie, Michelle Waterson -- at an upcoming event (DW didn't have the date.)

"[Mackenzie] does have a fight coming up. I was just talking about her this morning. We haven't announced it I'm sure, but I'll give it to you anyway. Hopefully, it's done. My people hate when I do this. She's taking on Marina Rodriguez next which is a great fight."

Dern has looked super impressive in her last few fights ... and recently submitted Nina Nunes via armbar.

Beneil Dariush -- the #3 ranked UFC lightweight -- has a message for newly crowned champ, Charles Oliveira ... I deserve next!!

TMZ Sports talked to Dariush -- fresh off his dominating win over UFC legend Tony Ferguson at UFC 262 -- and we asked the 32-year-old fighter who he has his sights set on next.

"Charles, we were supposed to fight. The man kinda owes me a fight. I signed up to fight him on short notice and he kinda bailed on me," Dariush says.

"Now, he's the champ and I'm number 3, but I have the highest streak in the top 3, in the top 4, whatever. You owe me a shot again. The shot you didn't give me the first time."

FYI, Beneil -- 21-4 as a pro -- says he and do Bronx -- 31-8 -- were supposed to fight late last year ... but the fight fell apart. Then, BD says Oliveira decided to fight El Cucuy instead (C.O. won via unanimous decision).

Fast forward to last weekend ... Charles knocked out Michael Chandler, to secure the belt.

Dariush tells us he believes he should be the top contender ... even with McGregor and Poirier set to scrap for a third time this July.

I think right now, I should be the number one contender, and I understand that Dustin Poirier and Conor are a big fight and they're the money fight and it makes sense for them to get the title, but you got to remember, those guys aren't easy to work with when it comes to contracts."

After his fight with Tony, Beneil said he wants to take some time off while he awaits the birth of his daughter. So, when does he want to get back in the Octagon?

"I think in December, Charles and I can get a go at it. I think it would be a very exciting fight but stylistically, I think I'm a bad matchup for him."

Coming soon to a city near you -- the WWE!!!!

Vince McMahon's wrestling org. is finally ready to take the show back on the road ... announcing a 25-date tour set to kick off in July.

Of course, it's been more than a year since the WWE has hosted any events outside of Florida ... with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the org. to create its ThunderDome setup in the Sunshine State.

WWE took one step towards normalcy by hosting 51,350 fans over two nights for WrestleMania 37 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa last month.

Now, fans will be able to see Superstars like Roman Reigns and Sasha Banks IN THE FLESH later this year ... with the return set to go down at SmackDown at the Toyota Center in Houston on July 16.

The famed Money in the Bank event will take place a few days later at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on the 18th ... and Raw will go down the next night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Dana White says he won't hold up the UFC's heavyweight division to wait around for Jon Jones -- telling TMZ Sports the company is "moving on."

Jones -- arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever -- had expressed interest in fighting Francis Ngannou for the heavyweight title ... but hasn't been able to make a deal with the UFC.

It's obviously a huge fight that fans would love to see ... but Dana tells us the two sides are at loggerheads and he's gotta keep the business moving.

"Yeah, I've absolutely moved on," White says ... "Listen, I put on fights every Saturday. We have a window where we try to build some fights and make some things happen. If the fights don't happen within that window, we move on, and realistically, I mean I've been saying it since the beginning, Derrick Lewis is the guy who should be getting the title shots. He beat Francis Ngannou. He's next in line, he's coming off of great performances and that's a wrap. We're moving on."

So, is Jon Jones' run in the UFC done for good?

"That's up to Jon," White said ... "He could absolutely fight again at 205 lbs. He said he wouldn't fight [Stipe Miocic] and now Derrick and Francis are fighting so we'll see how that fight plays out."

"There's nothing wrong with going out on top either -- Jon Jones is undefeated, he's never been beat."

"For those people that don't know, you see that 1 loss on his record, he didn't lose that fight he won that fight in dominant fashion like most of his fights. It was a time when the Nevada Athletic Commission was at its weakest and there was a referee that shouldn't have been in there and he stole that fight from Jon Jones. So, it wouldn't be a bad thing for him to go out on top."

Meanwhile, White is also focusing his energy on "The Return of the Ultimate Fighter" -- the 29th season of the UFC's iconic reality competition show.

The new season, which airs every Tuesday at 9 PM on ESPN+, features Brian Ortega and Alexander Volkanovski as coaches -- working with 16 up-and-coming fighters, all of whom are battling to make the UFC roster.

The series has been a springboard for superstars like Kamaru Usman, Forrest Griffin, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson and more ... and Dana clearly feels there's serious talent in this class as well.

Jake Paul is following in the footsteps of boxing legends like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao ... he just signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime Sports.

Both Jake and the network have confirmed the deal -- which also means Paul's run with Triller is over for now.

No word on how much money Paul will pocket from his new contract with Showtime -- or when he's expected to get in the ring.

But, ESPN's Marc Raimondi reports the two sides are in "advanced talks" about locking in Paul's next opponent -- as well as a date and location.

Also, no word on how much cash Paul will make from the contract.

But, it's huge news for the 24-year-old YouTube sensation who's been destroying opponents like Nate Robinson and Ben Askren since turning his focus to the sweet science a few years back.

Paul -- who's now 3-0 as a pro -- was the main event for the Triller Fight Club PPV event on April 17, when he knocked out Askren in the 1st round.

Paul bragged the event pulled in more than 1 million PPV buys -- which is massive ... begging the question, why would Triller let him walk?

Triller honcho Ryan Kavanaugh told The Athletic's Mike Coppinger there were NO plans for Paul to headline a card moving forward and the April event was simply a novelty.

"Paul being anything other than an undercard for us would change it from novelty to unacceptable,” Kavanaugh told Coppinger.

He also commented on Showtime signing Paul -- "Imitation is the ultimate form of flattery."

As for Jake, he's fired up about the move -- saying, "BOUTTA PUT ON ANOTHER SHOW."

Bryce Hall hasn't even thrown down in his first official boxing match yet ... but he's already planning #2 -- explaining Wednesday he wants a scrap with KSI badly!!!

The TikTok superstar -- who's all set for a celeb fight with YouTuber Austin McBroom next month -- said on "TMZ Live" he's got a beef brewing with KSI that he wants to settle in the ring next.

"KSI -- the one that beat [Logan Paul] -- was talking crazy about me," the 21-year-old said. "So, I mean, I'm down to do him next."

As for how the feud between the two social media stars started ... it's unclear, but they've exchanged verbal jabs repeatedly on Twitter over the last few weeks.

In fact, KSI trolled Hall after his wild brawl with McBroom in West Hollywood on Tuesday ... showing a picture of Bryce and asking, "You good?"

The fight would be an interesting one -- KSI is considered one the best boxers from the social media world -- but, of course, Hall's gotta get through McBroom first.

Welp, Aaron Carter's chances of beating Lamar Odom next month ain't looking great ...

Video of the pop singer getting destroyed by an amateur's body shot has just surfaced ... and, yeah, somewhere Odom's got to be smiling.

TMZ Sports has learned it all went down on May 4 ... when Carter was in a Santa Monica gym prepping for his June 11 Celebrity Boxing tilt with the ex-NBA star.

We're told Carter was mixing it up with Ian Feiner -- a fellow gym-goer who he had sparred with several times before -- when he got caught by a right hook to the gut.

The video shows Carter didn't exactly handle it well ... he crumpled to his knees in pain and the session ended just a few moments later.

We reached out to Carter for his side of the story, but so far, no word back yet.

Feiner tells us Carter was "fine overall" ... but it's clear, even though this was over two weeks ago, AC's going to need some work to avoid a loss to Odom.

You'll recall ... Odom's looking GOOD in his recent training sessions -- and was already the heavy favorite heading into the fight.

Charles Oliveira vs. Khabib?!

That's the fight many MMA fans are clamoring for ... believing the new UFC lightweight champ's style matches up favorably with the retired 29-0 superstar from Dagestan.

But, don't prematurely hand Khabib his 1st loss ... 'cause UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman -- who's friends with 32-year-old Nurmagomedov -- says he doesn't believe Khabib's any closer to returning to the Octagon after witnessing 31-year-old "Do Bronx's" impressive performance at UFC 262.

"I think Khabib did watch the fight. Was he intrigued? 'Yes, I wanna get back in there.' Probably not," Usman tells us.

"I mean, he's a man that's happy. He's happy with his life. He's happy with the direction that it's going and yeah, I think he's retired."

Of course, Khabib and Dana White met on multiple occasions over the last year ... but the former lightweight champ ultimately decided he was never going to fight again.

So, Charles vs. Khabib isn't happening ... BUT (hypothetically) does Oliveira have the necessary tools to beat the unbeatable fighter?!? Kamaru says no.

"More power to Charles Olivera. I'm impressed by him and I'm a fan for what he's able to do with his career but I just think there's levels to the game and I think Khabib is a different level."

Now, don't get it twisted ... Usman believes CO is a great fighter who went through hell to win the belt.

The champ is home -- and the party is underway!!!

Charles Oliveira returned to Brazil on Monday after an amazing knockout victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 on Saturday night ... and the people are going crazy!!!

Oliveira rode on top of a fire truck as he returned to his favela in Brazil -- where crowds of people were cheering for the 31-year-old UFC lightweight champ ... and literally dancing in the streets!

Oliveira has been fighting in the UFC since 2010 -- and went through some hard times over the years ... leading some to wonder if he would ever reach his potential.

Well, he did just that on Saturday -- overcoming adversity to floor Chandler in the 2nd round of the championship fight.

Oliveira has been glued to the belt ever since -- even sleeping with it on Saturday night ... and can ya blame him?!!

Now, he's back home to continue the celebration -- and it's clear he's made his country proud!!!

Charles' coach Diego Lima posted footage of the welcome party -- and said, "Brazil is celebrating, the Favela is celebrating, @charlesdobronxs number 1 in the world, CONGRATULATIONS bro!"

Lima added, "Thank you for bringing this happiness to our country, thank you for showing that everything is possible for those who believe, you shocked the world once again, and it's just the beginning of a legacy!!!!"

***WARNING: FINISH OFF YOUR MONDAY MORNING WHEATIES BEFORE CLICKING THIS!!!***

AEW star Christopher Daniels just revealed his eye is a bloody and bruised mess ... and it's all 'cause his face got kicked into a ringside pole during a match last week.

The gruesome injury all went down during AEW Dynamite on May 12 when Daniels and his partner, Frankie Kazarian, were in a heated tag team bout against Matt & Nick Jackson.

After several minutes of grueling action ... Daniels was outside the ring when Nick launched a surprise attack on the 51-year-old, kicking him in the face.

The boot landed so flush, it sent Daniels' head crashing into a pole -- and you can see in video of the play, he immediately started bleeding profusely from his eye area.

Daniels was able to finish the match despite losing a TON of blood ... but days later, he showed the repercussions for doing that were severe.

Check out the photos both he and Kazarian shared ... his eye is red, swollen, bloody and bruised!!!

The somewhat good news? Daniels' Wednesday match could have been his last ever (he and Kazarian agreed to split after they lost), so the guy should have plenty of time to heal now.

First, destroy Aaron Carter ... then, get revenge for Nate Robinson by knocking out Jake Paul?!?

That's the plan for Lamar Odom ... who, after his June fight with Carter, is gunning to box Paul to avenge Robinson's embarrassing loss to the YouTube star.

Odom made that very clear in a video obtained by TMZ Sports ... with the ex-NBA star saying, "After Aaron Carter, I would love to fight Jake Paul. For Nate Robinson!"

Lamar is set to throw hands with Carter on June 12 in Atlantic City ... and the 41-year-old is considered the big favorite, especially after recent sparring footage showed him looking polished in the ring.

Carter is training like a mad man with the hopes of not being some sort of pushover ... but if Odom can get through the pop singer as expected, he could be a very intriguing next opponent for Paul.

You'll recall, Jake annihilated Robinson in November, and then demolished Ben Askren in a fight last month ... but, he does NOT have another opponent lined up yet.

Seems Odom would be a great fit if he scores a win next month.

It looks like the world is transitioning from brawls over mask-wearing to the ol'-fashion variety.

This one went down at London's Luton Airport after a man threw a bottle at another passenger who was insulting his female traveling companion.

For some reason, lots of onlookers decided to get in the game, and when the dust settled 17 people were arrested. Three people received serious injuries and were taken to the hospital.

A police spokesperson said, "We take a zero tolerance approach to violence and continue to assist the police with their inquiries. We would like to sincerely apologise to any passengers affected."

It's really crazy ... dudes are clobbering each other with suitcases right in the terminal area around all the stores. And, it happened at 8 AM ... way too early to brawl.

"You want to see a guy who's wiling to die in that Octagon? I think that's Tony and I."

That's UFC fighter Beneil Dariush telling TMZ Sports that he and Tony Ferguson are ready to sacrifice their lives in order to earn a victory at UFC 262.

Yeah ... heavy stuff.

We talked to the 32-year-old, #9 ranked Iranian-American fighter -- the co-main event Saturday night in Houston -- about the biggest fight of his life ... and what both men are ready to risk.

"I think two guys who are willing to go out there, if we have to leave in pieces, we'll leave in pieces, but we love the victory," Dariush says.

"I think that's one of the similarities that Tony and I have and I think that's one of the reasons why everybody should watch the fight.

FYI, Beneil is on a 6-fight win streak ... meanwhile 37-year-old Ferguson is in the midst of a 2-fight losing streak (Gaethje & Oliveira).

Regardless, Tony is still considered one of the most dangerous dudes in the lightweight division.

So, how does Dariush get the dub against El Cucuy?

"I think it can go all three ways. Knockout, submission or decision Whatever it is, I gotta stay one step ahead of him."

This is an incredible video!!!

UFC star Michael Chandler is fighting in the biggest bout of his life at UFC 262 on Saturday night ... and TMZ Sports spoke to his ex-college teammates for some last-minute encouragement before competing for the lightweight title!!!

Oh, and should we mention those ex-teammates are Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley?!?!?

The superstar Missouri Tigers wrestling alums shared some final thoughts with us before their friend takes the Octagon against Charles Oliveira in Houston.

"I think his first performance with the UFC was outstanding,  Askren tells us. "Hey man, he's not a newbie. I think he's been in the game just as long as we have so go out there, fight hard, have fun and enjoy your moment."

Woodley -- who considers himself a "big brother" to Chandler also had some kind words for the guy .... saying, "He's always talked about wanting to be the best, the best in the world, wants to be best and have the glory and have the fame and have all these things."

"I know he's got that Tiger style. I'm sending love out to him, peace and prayers and he represents us when he goes out there. Not just to wrestle, not just the OG fighters but just that pedigree of people that did it the right way and worked hard."

And, if you checked out the video ... you can tell just how much the soundbites meant to Chandler.

"Man, it's pretty emotional because when I think about Tyron and I think about Ben and I just think about being a Mizzou Tiger, I think about where I came from," Chandler tells us.

"I think about walking on to the University of Missouri. I was the lowest guy on the totem pole. I was the guy that didn't really truly believe that ridiculous success was something that I can achieve."

"I worked hard, you can ask Tyron -- Tyron was a 5th-year senior, Ben was a 3rd or 4th year when I came in, they already had the accolades, they already had the mindset, they had the achievements and I looked to those guys like they were gods."

He continued ... "Like, they were the guys that I wanted to emulate. They immediately became my big brothers, they immediately instilled in me most of the time to know that, Michael, you can be an All-American, you can be a national champion and I just think back to the little guy from the little town that was taught to do little things that I was and because of guys like Tyron, because of guys like Ben,"

Of course, Michael DID achieve all those goals ... becoming an All-American wrestler at the Division I level ... and getting a bid to the NCAA Championships 3 out of 4 seasons as a starter.

Chandler says no matter what happens Saturday night, it just goes to show how the Mizzou fam is a strong bond.

"It's not about me getting to the top. It's about Tyron Woodley, who wanted to see me at the top with him. It's about Ben Askren who wanted to see me a the top with him. Two of the greatest to ever grace Mizzou wrestling. Two of the greatest to ever compete in mixed martial arts and they wanted to bring other people up with them."

Floyd Mayweather says the Logan Paul fight was supposed to go down in Dubai -- but the org. he teamed up with to put on the event dropped the ball ... and now his company is suing for more than $120 MILLION!!

TMZ Sports obtained the lawsuit, filed by Mayweather Promotions, alleging a company called PAC Entertainment Worldwide approached them about hosting the event in Dubai at an undisclosed date in 2021.

Mayweather Promotions claims PAC claimed to have "numerous business contacts in Dubai" and "had the financial wherewithal and capability to host a fight of this magnitude."

Most importantly, Mayweather Promotions says PAC "presented financial projections estimating the fight could generate guaranteed amounts for each participant, plus result in the promoters earning more than $100 million in profits after covering all purses and expenses."

Mayweather Promotions admits it was impressed with the pitch and claims it ultimately signed a deal requiring PAC to pay a minimum guaranteed amount of $110 MILLION on a "prescribed payment schedule."

Mayweather Promotions claims the 1st payment of $30 million was due on March 25, 2021 -- but the money never came.

Mayweather Promotions claims the missed payment triggered a clause allowing MP to terminate the deal while still requiring PAC to fork up the full $110 million.

In the suit, Mayweather Promotions claims they were left scrambling to make new fight plans -- and ultimately worked out a deal to move the fight to Miami on June 6.

Mayweather Promotions is suing for breach of contract -- and demanding at least $122.6 million in damages.

Doug Kiker, the garbage man who brought Katy Perry to tears on "American Idol," is in police custody after cops in Alabama say he was involved in a domestic violence incident.

Mobile Police lieutenant Matthew James tells TMZ ... Kiker was busted Thursday for misdemeanor domestic violence (harassment) and he's now sitting in jail on $1,000 bond.

We're told officers responded to a report of domestic violence Thursday night allegedly involving Kiker and an adult woman and she's the one who called 911. The nature of their relationship is unclear.

Cops say responding officers investigated and determined there was probable cause to arrest Kiker ... and he was hauled off to jail, where he posed for this mug shot.