Fights

YouTube star Austin McBroom staged a wild event in Bev Hills Saturday ... and he had a target in mind -- fellow TikToker Bryce Hall.

Austin told his fans on social he'd meet up with them on Rodeo Drive at around 4 PM. There was no question hundreds of fans would flock to the pricey stretch of road ... and that's exactly what they did.

The scene was crazy ... Austin displayed a piñata with Bryce Hall's face on it ... and there's a reason. Austin and Bryce are going to square off in a fight June 12 in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium, and it's clear they're both out for blood.

You may have seen ... the 2 got into it in what turned into a massive brawl earlier this month at Fred Segal's in L.A.

As for Rodeo Drive ... they hoisted the pinata with a rope, but before they could go to town cops showed up ... because the crowd had essentially shut Rodeo Drive down. The crowd dispersed without incident.

Sorry, fight fans ... Chuck Liddell says there will be no upcoming boxing match with Jake Paul -- the UFC legend tells TMZ Sports he'd HURT the YouTuber if a scrap ever went down.

Liddell told us out in L.A. that even though the two have beefed publicly over the past couple weeks ... it just makes no sense for Jake to box him, even at Chuck's current age.

"He's not good enough to fight me," the 51-year-old said of the 24-year-old.

"It just doesn't make sense for him. None of it makes sense for this guy. He's going to risk getting hurt like that?!"

If you're wondering why it's even being rumored ... it's 'cause the two went after each other on social media following Jake's huge win over Ben Askren.

A fan on Twitter asked Chuck to shut Jake up ... and Liddell responded, "I’m ready anytime for that clown."

Paul fired back a short time later, posting a pic of the two after the Askren fight and saying, "This guy Chuck Liddell begged me for a pic after my fight and now is talking s*** on Twitter."

Miles Teller was assaulted during his vacation in Hawaii ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the incident occurred Wednesday at the Monkeypod Kitchen on the island of Maui, where Miles and his wife, Keleigh Sperry, were eating dinner. Sources who were at the restaurant tell TMZ, Miles was in the bathroom when a man confronted him and punched him in the face. We're told the 2 got into it outside the bathroom and Miles screamed that he was going to press charges.

Miles and Keleigh left the restaurant ... he did not appear to be seriously injured.

We're told the man who punched Miles was a wedding planner who claimed Miles owed him $60,000 for services he performed for Miles' wedding in Maui back in 2019. Our eyewitnesses claim the man was complaining to Miles he had not gotten paid.

Cops confirm the incident went down Wednesday at around 7:30 PM. No one was arrested but cops say they're investigating.

Miles and Keleigh have been hanging out with Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley during their vacay.

Chad Johnson is taking his celeb fight SO seriously, he's getting in the ring with the Charlo twins to prep for the tilt ... and he tells TMZ Sports the guys are whoopin' his ass!!

The ex-NFL superstar -- who's set to square off with MMA fighter Brian Maxwell on the undercard of the Mayweather-Paul fight on June 6 -- broke it all down for us this week ... explaining he's sparring Jermell and Jermall Charlo to get ready for his match.

And, he says he's taking a beating from the boxing stars every time ... telling us of a recent sparring sesh, "I was f***ing swimming."

"Third round," Johnson added, "I was in the middle of the ocean with no life vest and I was f***ing drowning."

Not familiar with the Charlos? They're 2 of the best boxers in the world ... and have a combined 65 professional wins with only 1 (very controversial) loss.

But, the 43-year-old -- who said he's also training with some of the Charlos' sparring partners -- explained he's hopeful it'll all help when the lights come on against Maxwell in Miami next month.

"I've been training with the Charlo twins so I'm here now and it's funny I just finished sparring one of [their] sparring partners and it was fun," Johnson said. "It was a great experience."

"It was an experience where I was taken advantage of and it's a great thing. Obviously going in the ring with someone that does it at the highest level and learning the mistakes. I like it like that."

Johnson continued, "There was no other way to prepare for something of this magnitude. I had to come here. It's just -- there's no other way."

Johnson wouldn't guarantee a knockout over Maxwell -- even despite the training efforts -- but he did tell us it's going to be a show nonetheless.

All hell broke loose in a minor league baseball game Tuesday night ... with players throwing violent haymakers at each other during an insane brawl that was all captured on video.

The melee went down in the 8th inning of a game between Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres minor leaguers in South Bend, Ind.

The Cubs' affiliate, the South Bend Cubs, was taking on the Padres' affiliate, the Fort Wayne TinCaps ... when the ending of the game turned ugly in a hurry.

Video from the broadcast shows all of the action initially began in the 7th inning ... when Cubs shortstop Delvin Zinn got into a heated argument with the TinCaps' bench.

You can see in footage from the game's broadcast, Zinn was clearly enraged by something TinCaps players had said ... and he needed to be held back by teammates.

Fast-forward just a few minutes later in the 8th inning, when a violent fracas broke out after a TinCaps player had struck out.

Check out the clip, the Cubs' catcher said something to the Ft. Wayne player after the pitch ... and then EVERYBODY rushed the field!!!

The benches cleared, and multiple punches were thrown and landed for several seconds.

Eventually, it was all broken up ... and according to the game's box score, FOUR players were ejected by umps immediately.

The Cubs went on to win the game, 12-10 ... but the fireworks might not be over there.

The two teams are set to play FIVE more times this week ... and even if suspensions are handed down -- more drama could unfold.

Jordan Bohannon -- the University of Iowa's all-time 3-point shot-maker -- was sucker-punched in a bar Sunday morning in a brutal attack captured on video.

Now, school officials say the 23-year-old is "recovering well" after suffering a "serious head injury" during the incident ... and police are now involved.

The video shows Bohannon hanging outside at DC's Sports Bar bar in Iowa City when suddenly he was blindsided with a brutal shot to the face.

You can see Bohannon sprawled out on the ground in the aftermath of the attack and his friends and other patrons try to figure out what the hell happened.

There was some pushing and shoving as Bohannon slowly picks himself up off the ground.

Police are investigating the incident -- but so far, it's unclear if they've identified the attacker or made any arrests.

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery issued a statement on the incident saying, "Thankfully, Jordan is recovering well after being attacked by an individual he did not see coming at him."

"We were made aware of the incident immediately. We are grateful that friends who were with Jordan at the time kept the incident from escalating. His health is our number one concern."

Bohannon made headlines before the attack when he announced he would be returning to Iowa for a 6th season -- since the NCAA is allowing athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID pandemic.

The basketball star was named Iowa's Mr. Basketball in 2016 -- and during his college career, he set the record for career 3-pointers with 364.

Lamar Odom says his boxing match with Aaron Carter will last shorter than a TikTok video ... telling TMZ Sports he's gonna knock out the former pop star in the FIRST ROUND!!!

As we previously reported, the NBA champ has been CRUSHING it in the gym leading up to his June 12 bout with the "I Want Candy" crooner ... looking as polished as ever during training session vids.

We spoke with 41-year-old Odom ahead of the big fight in Atlantic City ... and he's basically saying folks won't wanna blink -- 'cause it'll be over in a flash.

"It's not gon' be a fight," Odom tells us. "It ain't gon' be a fight."

We asked if Odom will be able to handle AC in the first round ... and the dude is confident as hell he won't even need the full 1 minute and 30 seconds to get the win.

"Yeah. Probably, I would say the first minute."

Odom's had a lot going for him recently -- he just debuted his film, "Reborn," which details his use of psychedelic medicines to bounce back from addiction and anxiety.

Odom tells us how he's been recovering from his 2015 overdose ... saying, "Well you gotta put God first, your higher power first, before you do anything."

He adds his great friend Kobe Bryant is still inspiring him every day to strive for greatness ... adding "Family, my children. That's the reason why I'm living. It's just me sharing my 'Mamba Mentality' moment."

"That's the quest of being the best version of myself. In search of that."

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!!!!"