Fights

Mr. Nice Guy is officially dead and gone -- Conor McGregor just UNLEASHED an epic amount of smack talk on Dustin Poirier at their UFC 264 press conference just minutes ago ... vowing to absolutely wreck the guy as soon as they enter the Octagon on Saturday.

Of course, Conor was unusually kind to "Diamond" before their fight back in January ... showing serious respect for Poirier and acting the complete opposite of his wild self.

But, yeah, Thursday night was WAY different.

"I'm gonna go drill his head, put holes into it and take it off his shoulders," Conor said. "That's the goal here! He's done here! This is it for him! This is the end of the road."

Both guys went at each other from the jump by getting in each other's faces -- with Conor grabbing Poirier's signature hot sauce off the table and throwing it off the stage.

Conor was later asked straight-up if he has respect for Dustin ... and he didn't hold back.

"I don't give a f*** about him to be honest," McGregor said. "I don't give a rat's ass about him. He's Buster Douglas is what he is, and that's the way he's gonna go down."

"He's gonna be known for that. It was a fluke win and I'm gonna correct it on Saturday night."

As for Dustin, he had a different tone -- "I don't hate anybody up here. I'm at a different place mentally, man. Respect to him and everything he's done."

TMZ Sports got in a few questions with Conor as well ... asking when he believes he'll be a billionaire ... and ya gotta hear what he has to say.

There's a lot of history between the guys -- Conor got the win their first go-round in 2014 ... with Poirier getting the win in January.

"I was very overconfident going into [Usman] fight. I just believed, I’m going to beat this guy, and there’s nothing he can do to stop me."

That's 34-year-old UFC star Gilbert Burns admitting he thought he was gonna roll over welterweight champ Kamaru Usman when they fought in February.

That didn't happen ... and Burns was ultimately stopped via TKO in the 3rd round -- a defeat that crushed him emotionally.

"As soon as we put on those little, small gloves everyone is danger," Burns tells TMZ Sports.

"You gotta respect that, and I think I was very overconfident, and I paid the price. So, learned so much. The journey is still very alive, first step is going to be July 10th."

Of course, July 10 is UFC 264 ... the date Burns returns to the Octagon against #4 ranked fight Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.

"Now I’m on my way back. I’m hungry as ever. I think I’m a little more mature, more disciplined."

Does 1 win get him back in title contention -- and set him up for a rematch with Usman?

Surprisingly, Burns says probably not ... he has more work to do.

"I couldn’t care about them 2 dingbats."

Conor McGregor is days away from one of the biggest fights of his career, but the UFC superstar's still getting grilled about Jake and Logan Paul ... saying he has no intention of ever fighting the YouTubers-turned-boxers.

... but he's not counting it out for good!!!

"The Notorious" -- who's seeking revenge against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on Saturday -- was asked if he'd ever step in the ring with the two bros this week ... and his answer is very interesting.

"I don’t see so, but never say never," Conor said. "If they’re gonna keep competing and what not, who f***in' knows? But dingbats, the 2 of 'em."

In other words -- SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE!!!!

Remember, Jake has incessantly gone after McGregor for months ... offering $50 million to make the fight happen, even releasing a wild video claiming the superstar and Dana White are scared to set it up.

Conor -- who loves making money -- has kept his options open about fighting Jake in the past ... and you'd think there's gotta be a reason for that.

Steph Curry stared death in the eye once again -- with the NBA superstar finally getting his sparring rematch against Canelo Alvarez ... and shock, shock -- it ended in a big, fat L!!

Remember, Curry first faced off against the boxing champ a year ago -- when he playfully squared up with Alvarez at the celeb American Century Championship tournament in Lake Tahoe.

33-year-old Curry narrowly escaped catastrophe in their initial encounter, and the dude never got over it ... 'cause when he peeped Canelo at the Edgewood Tahoe resort on Wednesday, it was ON!!

The 2 tangoed for about 10 seconds, with Curry throwing a quick jab before getting caught with the 30-year-old's fast counter ... and just like that, rematch OVER!!!

"I tried the champ Canelo again," Curry said afterward. "It didn't go well again!"

But, Chef Curry had a few takeaways to go home with this time around ... saying, "Footwork was solid though just saying. #stayinmyweightclass."

Curry was definitely moving compared to last year's match where he looked stiff and didn't throw any punches .. so, definitely an improvement.

Let's see if a Curry-Alvarez trilogy happens next year .. 'cause third times a charm, right?

Carnell Davis -- a freshman wide receiver on the Rutgers football team -- was reportedly knocked out by a violent punch in a street fight ... and the whole incident was apparently caught on video.

It's unclear where and when the altercation took place ... but The Press of Atlantic City reports the 6-foot-1, 175-pound wideout is the shirtless man wearing blue shorts in the footage that was posted on social media this week.

In the clip, you can see the man purported to be Davis, get into a tiff with another shirtless male in a red hat apparently over comments about Davis' mother.

The man in the blue shorts can be heard on the footage saying, "you were just talking about you were going to f*** my mom" -- before the two squared up to fight.

Eventually, the man in the red hat tagged the other male in the chin with a right hook ... sending him crashing to the ground.

It's unknown if Davis suffered any severe injuries ... a spokesperson for the Rutgers football team issued a short statement to The Press of Atlantic City, only saying the freshman is currently at home "recovering."

"Our main concern is Carnell’s health and well-being," the spokesperson said. "He is home with his family and continues to make progress in his recovery."

"We look forward to getting him back on campus soon."

We've reached out to both Rutgers and law enforcement for further comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Davis -- who played his senior season of H.S. football at Eau Gallie in Florida in 2020 -- signed on to play for Rutgers in Dec. 2020 and enrolled in the school just weeks later.

He was a touted H.S. recruit -- piling up offers from 24 schools, including Auburn, before landing with the Scarlet Knights.

A POTUS, a Biebs and a Kardashian walk into a fight -- that's what's going down at UFC 264 in Vegas this weekend ... with a massive list of celebs set to watch Conor McGregor face-off against Dustin Poirier!!!

Our UFC sources confirm ... former President Donald Trump is among huge names slated to hit up T-Mobile Arena on Saturday for the fight ... including Justin Bieber, Megan Fox, and Machine Gun Kelly.

Impressive, right?!? There's more -- Travis Barker, Kourtney Kardashian, Odell Beckham, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Durant and others will tune in for Conor's first fight in Vegas since January 2020, as first reported by TSN.

Of course, Dana and Trump go way back -- in UFC's early days, Trump offered White his casinos to host fights ... and the UFC honcho went on to throw his support behind #45 during his 2016 presidential campaign.

On top of that, Trump and Conor have had nothing but positive words for each other in the past ... with McGregor calling him a "phenomenal president."

The celebs in attendance are in for a highly anticipated treat -- remember, Conor handled Dustin back in 2014 ... but Poirier got his revenge earlier this year.

Belal Muhammad says he has unfinished business with Leon Edwards ... and wants to scrap only months after a (very) gross eye poke forced their fight to be stopped early.

TMZ Sports asked the 32-year-old who he wanted next after his unanimous decision victory over MMA legend Demian Maia ... and the #9 ranked UFC welterweight called out a dude he knows very well.

Leon Edwards ... the 29-year-old, #3 ranked welterweight.

"[Leon and I] literally had one round! Nothing happened in that round. There's 4 more rounds to that fight and you saw the Nate Diaz fight, dude got almost knocked out in the 5th round," Belal says.

Rewind about 100 days ... Belal and Leon's UFC Fight Night main event fight was ruled a no contest after just 5 minutes -- when Edwards accidentally jammed his finger in Muhammad's eye, scratching his cornea.

Muhammad says Edwards had an opportunity to get himself a title shot when he fought Diaz at UFC 263.

"For a guy like [Leon], you had a chance to earn your title shot against Nate Diaz, steal his fans, but you blew it because you played it a little bit safe, you didn't go for the finish."

Of course, Edwards won via unanimous decision ... but was close to being finished by the Stockton superstar during the final minute of the fight.

We asked Belal what he'd say to Leon if he were watching the interview.

Not every boxing superstar hates Logan and Jake Paul ... 'cause heavyweight champion Tyson Fury tells TMZ Sports the two brothers have been AWESOME for the sport!!!

Remember, Canelo Alvarez felt the exact opposite when he spoke to us about the YouTubers-turned-fighters back in December 2020 ... saying they were being "disrespectful" to boxing.

But, the Gypsy King couldn't be more kind about Logan and Jake ... saying, "I've been pretty impressed with the Pauls -- both of them -- to be fair, they've been a good breath of fresh air to the boxing scene."

"Fantastic, guys. Well done if you're watching."

After all, both brothers have been able to put on a show -- Logan just went 8 rounds with Floyd freakin' Mayweather ... and Jake most recently KO'd former UFC star Ben Askren.

Very kind words coming from the 30-0-1 fighter, but don't get it twisted -- Fury thinks his little brother, Tommy will completely wreck Jake if they ever get in the ring together.

"I think Tommy knocks him out cold. I think [Jake's] a decent fighter for sure. But, I know Tommy's a dynamite puncher."

Tommy has been going back and forth with Jake for months ... and even told us back in April he thinks Paul is a "massive p***y."

Jake's busy prepping for his fight with Tyron Woodley ... but it's clear Tyson wants his brother to get a piece next.

Rashad Evans knows what it's like to be locked in a cage with Jon Jones ... and that's why Suga says Bones will continue his legacy of DOMINANCE when he fights a heavyweight.

Of course, Jones relinquished his UFC light heavyweight title last summer ... and decided to bulk up and move to the heavyweight division.

TMZ Sports talked to Evans -- a UFC Hall of Famer -- about Jon's transition to the bigger weight class.

"Jon Jones is a phenomenal athlete, he's a phenomenal fighter, and his IQ inside the Octagon can't be surpassed by anybody. So, I expect him to carry that to the heavyweight division," Rashad says.

When it comes to this topic, there's no one better to talk to. Rashad fought at LHW and HW, and lost a 5 round unanimous decision to JJ in 2012.

Now, don't get it twisted ... Evans says there will be some differences that could present Jones with minor issues in the cage.

"The things that I may think may give him some problems, the fact that these guys are big and they do hit harder, but for the most part I mean this is the great Jon Jones. Jon Jones can make an adjustment to anything."

Of course, Jon and the UFC haven't been able to work out a deal to make the Jones vs. Francis Ngannou super fight ... a fight that could be one of the biggest in the history of the organization.

A spa in Los Angeles became the site of brutality this weekend after protests took place against a trans person ... who allegedly revealed themselves to women in the female section.

Several people took to the streets of Koreatown Saturday for what you may consider anti-trans demonstrations ... which were met by counter-protesters, with both groups clashing in violent ways -- much of which was filmed and circulated online and made for crazy video.

Some of the counter-protesters were likened to "Antifa" -- with a handful of them dressed head-to-toe in all black, while also covering their faces -- but it's hard to sort out who's with who. All we know is that the counter-protesters were NOT having the anti-trans sentiments.

In addition to accosting/provoking some of the protesters, they also reportedly tore up signage that they apparently considered bigoted and discriminatory. On the flip side ... some of the anti-trans demonstrators also allegedly threatened and/or committed violence themselves.

One person claims they had a Wi Spa protester pull a gun on them ... and posted video of a man who appears to take a firearm out of a backpack, and then tuck it into his waistband. When asked what it's for, he's heard on camera saying ... "Something to shoot you with."

The chaos all stems from a now-viral video from last week that shows a woman confronting the Wi Spa staff over what she claimed was a man who was sitting naked in the women's side of the spa ... allegedly exposing his penis and genitals to adults and children alike.

The Wi Spa staff seems to be fine with it ... explaining to her that they respect trans people's rights -- and that, apparently, includes letting 'em go to the part of the facility they feel most comfortable in. That didn't sit well with this woman -- who essentially said she felt violated.

She gets into with other patrons ... some of whom tell her to pipe down and to have some respect, but she stands her ground -- repeatedly saying the trans person had a "d***."

"Kamaru can fight a can, a Monster can, a Coca-Cola bottle. It doesn't matter. He smashed everybody. Violated everybody. Nobody deserve nothing."

That's Kamaru Usman's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, answering the question ... who's next for the UFC welterweight champ??

The 34-year-old Usman has run thru almost all his competition at 170 lbs.

Colby Covington, TKO, 2019
Jorge Masvidal, Unanimous Decision, 2019
Gilbert Burns, TKO, 2021
Jorge Masvidal (again), KO, 2021

Ali did throw out a name -- a big name -- as a possible opponent for the Nigerian Nightmare.

Nate Diaz.

"At least Nate brings something to the table. The only thing Colby brings to the table is a broken jaw. He humiliated him."

Of course, Diaz is arguably the most beloved fighter in the UFC ... but he's lost his last 2 fights (including to Leon Edwards), so we asked Ali if Nate really deserved to fight for the belt.

"Masvidal didn't deserve it too. Masvidal, he brought something to the table. He brought entertainment, excitement. People believed Masvidal was one of the baddest dudes on the planet," Ali says.

"But, in reality, he was not. He got beat at his own game, knocked out cold. Slept. He was slept. No disrespect to nobody."

Abdelaziz says regardless of who it is ... Kamaru's opponents have no hope of beating him.

Rapper SAINt JHN was allegedly confronted Friday by Lil Uzi Vert ... and all hell broke loose when Vert allegedly flashed his gun.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... SAINt JHN was at Dialog Cafe in West Hollywood at high noon when Lil Uzi Vert jumped out of a Cadillac Escalade and confronted JHN. We're told they got into a physical altercation.

But, it got real when, according to people at the scene, Lil Uzi Vert flashed the handle of his gun ... prompting bystanders to run ... fearing a shooting was about to go down.

It doesn't appear Uzi fired his weapon ... both he and SAINt JHN left the scene.

We're told L.A. County Sheriff's are on the scene and looking to speak with Uzi and SAINt.

As for whether SAINt JHN and Lil Uzi Vert have beef ... it's unclear, however, SAINt JHN was spotted back in March with Uzi's former GF, Brittany Byrd.

We reached out to reps for both camps ... and JHN's team was unaware of this. No word back from Uzi's rep.

"I most definitely can knock Logan Paul out, without a doubt."

That's "Suga" Rashad Evans throwing down the gauntlet ... challenging 26-year-old YouTube star turned pugilist Logan Paul to a BOXING match.

41-year-old Evans -- inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019 -- hasn't fought since taking an L to Anthony Smith at UFC 225 in June 2018.

But, in case you forgot ... Suga's beat Rampage Jackson, Chael Sonnen (still undefeated), Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin, Michael Bisping and Tito Ortiz -- just to name a few.

Back to Logan ... rumors have been swirling that a fight between LP and Evans could be in the works -- and Rashad says he's 100% down to scrap.

"I don't know what [Logan's] looking for, for his next match. But, I'm gonna tell you right now what he needs. What he needs is a taste of 'Suga.'"

Of course, Paul is only a few weeks removed from his exhibition fight with 44-year-old Floyd Mayweather ... a bout that went the full 8 rounds.

Mayweather wasn't able to drop Logan -- who was about 50 lbs. heavier than Floyd -- something Evans says will NOT be the case if they fight.

The man who was punched in the face by Joe Schilling at a bar on Sunday is now planning to press charges against the MMA fighter ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The alleged victim, identified as 31-year-old Justin Balboa, has gone to police and will cooperate with prosecutors as he pursues a battery charge, his attorney, Robert Solomon, tells us.

"I cannot believe [Schilling] thought it was OK to just haul off and crack somebody twice like that," Solomon says. "[Schilling] is lucky we're not dealing with a manslaughter case."

In video of the incident, you can see Balboa got rocked in the head multiple times by Schilling on Sunday night at a bar in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

The footage showed Schilling -- who last fought professionally in 2019 for Bellator -- whaled on Balboa after the two had bumped into each other in a walkway near the bar area.

In police docs, cops say Balboa told them he had no idea why Schilling hit him.

Schilling, meanwhile, claims Balboa had been bothering him and others all night ... and says he only hit Balboa out of self-defense.

"I was scared for my life," Schilling added.

In the docs, officers say a witness told them it appeared the confrontation all went down because Balboa "had possibly made an improper remark" about Schilling's significant other.

Solomon, though, tells us he believes his client did nothing to deserve the punches ... saying, "The video clearly shows another story."

"The reality of it is is this guy took this way too far," Solomon said of Schilling.

Solomon also says he'll be filing a civil lawsuit against Schilling later this week ... adding that his client suffered a head injury and facial wounds in the altercation.

The Stanley Cup Final looked more like a horror movie Monday night -- at least for a few minutes -- 'cause one player's head was left a bloody mess after a violent scrap.

Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher was the man who unfortunately suffered the wound late in the third period of Montreal's first game with Tampa Bay ... and it was pretty gnarly.

The Habs player crashed the Lightning net to try to clean up a possible rebound ... and several Tampa Bay players took so much exception to the skate-in, they fought him.

Blake Coleman ripped Gallagher's helmet off ... and then Mikhail Sergachev slammed Gallagher so hard to the ice, his head took a nasty shot.

Photos from the game show Gallagher was bleeding profusely ... and it was so bad, the 29-year-old eventually skated off and did not return to the contest.

Seems Gallagher's going to be just fine for Game 2 ... but, he had to deal with a little more sting while in the locker room getting treatment, 'cause the Canadiens were ultimately blown out, 5-1.

UFC fighter Justin Jaynes bet his entire $25K fight purse on himself and LOST ... so, instant regret, right??

Nope ... 31-year-old JJ tells TMZ Sports he'd do it all over again -- and that's exactly what he wants to do.

"I really don’t have any regrets man. I live a high risk, high reward kind of lifestyle."

Of course, Justin famously gambled his fight check ... and ended up losing a 3-round split decision to 34-year-old Charles Rosa at UFC Vegas 30.

And now, he wants that cash back -- and he's willing to fight Rosa again.

"F*** it, let’s run it back, double or nothing," Jaynes says.

"I need to get my money back anyways man. It’s just one of those things, like I said I trained very, very, very hard. It was my motivation, there was a lot on the line going into this fight."

Even with the hit to his bank account (which sucked) ... Justin says he can still support his family -- and that's what really matters.

"It didn’t feel great, but it’s not going to put me in a position to where I can’t take care of myself," Jaynes says.