Fights

Don't count on Tito Ortiz and Anderson Silva grabbin' a beer after their upcoming boxing match ... 'cause the UFC legend says he's lost ALL RESPECT for Spider after contentious contract negotiations.

46-year-old Ortiz broke down the beef when TMZ Sports talked to him at RVCA Training Centre in Costa Mesa, CA ... explaining how Silva demanded the fight go down at 195 pounds -- 10 pounds under the weight he last fought.

"He wants me down to 195. He's fought at 205 over 6 times in his career and he wants me down to 195. So, it shows that he's afraid of my power."

That's an issue 'cause it means Ortiz has to cut extra weight and deplete his body before the fight -- and frankly, that ticks Tito off.

"I lost respect for the guy man. He's one of the best in the world in mixed martial arts, but I have no respect to him."

The 2 legends are fighting September 11 on Triller ... a card that also includes Oscar de la Hoya and Vitor Belfort.

Silva is coming off a big time win in the ring over former boxing champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. ... a fight that shocked many experts.

But, don't count on the impressive performance scaring Ortiz ... he's veryyyy confident he's gonna whoop Silva's ass.

"Am I the toughest fighter? I'm way tougher than him, 100%. Am I gonna make it vicious? Am I gonna make it just a blood fight? Yes. I hope he's ready for a dogfight. That's what it's gonna be. It's gonna be a dogfight."

"I ain't in here for an exhibition. I'm not here for pitter patter, you know, do a dance. I'm here to fight. I'm a fighter."

We also talked to Tito's boxing coach, Jason Parillo -- one of the best trainers in the sport -- who told us the key to beating Silva.

Vicente Luque is surging in the rankings ... and now the rising UFC star is going big name hunting -- calling out none other than Nate Diaz.

TMZ Sports talked to 29-year-old Luque -- fresh off his 1st round submission dub over top 5 fighter, Michael Chiesa -- and we asked, who's next!?!

"I do want to wait and see what's gonna happen with [Usman-Covington], with the title fight. Maybe I can get in there, maybe I can jump the line and fight for the title," Vicente says.

But, #4 ranked Luque knows that's likely a long shot ... so he's got some names in mind in the event he doesn't fight for the strap.

"Leon Edwards could be a guy, you know, a rematch against him could be something that would interest me. Also, a super fight against a guy like Nate Diaz, which I've called out a couple of times. That also would be a fight that would interest me."

Vicente lost to Leon via unanimous decision back in 2017 ... but has been on a tear of late -- coming off wins over Chiesa (submission), Tyron Woodley (submission), Randy Brown (KO), Niko Price (TKO).

Of course, Diaz just fought Edwards himself -- losing via unanimous decision -- but not before almost KO'ing Leon in the last round of the June fight.

There's another option ... serve as the backup fighter in case of injury or illness for Usman vs. Covington -- a fight that doesn't yet have a date.

"I think that would be something interesting. Even if I'm not, you know, officially a backup, I do plan to stay ready. And, possibly, you know if something, I hope nothing happens, but if something happens, I can step in there and save the day."

Bottom line ... Vicente Luques' a problem in the welterweight division.

Muhammad Ali's grandson, Nico Ali Walsh, is making his pro boxing debut Saturday ... a fight that never would've happened if Muhammad didn't stop his grandson from quitting the sport years ago, Nico tells TMZ Sports.

We talked to the 21-year-old, 0-0 fighter -- who's taking on 4-1 Jordan Weeks Saturday night in Oklahoma on ESPN+ -- and asked him about following in the footsteps of the most famous and beloved fighter of all-time.

"Everyone wants to compare me to my grandfather, I really appreciate it. I wish I looked like my grandfather, but nobody will look like him. I will not look like and nobody will ever look like him," Nico tells us.

Ali Walsh -- who was born in 2000 (19 years after Muhammad retired) -- says he almost quit the sport back in the day ... but Ali wouldn't let him.

"I would definitely not be boxing if I didn’t get [Muhammad's] blessing, so to speak. I asked him if I should be boxing, and you know, because at the time I wanted to quit boxing."

"It was getting a little tough, I was like 14. But, he didn’t let me quit. He kept pushing me to continue, continue, continue. And, I kept wanting him to tell me to quit, so I could. But, he didn’t let me."

FYI, Nico's mom is Rasheda Ali Walsh, Muhammad's daughter. The Ali Walsh family is (no surprise) athletically gifted. Nico's older brother, Biaggio, was one of the top high school football players in Nevada. He is currently on the UCLA football team.

Almost 61 years ago, a crowd of just over 6,000 fans showed up to an arena in Louisville to watch Ali, an unknown fighter at the time, make his pro debut.

He became arguably the most influential athlete of all-time.

Khetag Pliev literally had his FINGER TWISTED & RIPPED from the rest of his body 135 days ago during an MMA fight ... and now the crazy tough fighter is stepping back into the cage.

Remember, 37-year-old Pliev's fight against Devin Goodale was ruled a no contest after it was discovered that the digit had been severed sometime during the bout. For minutes, no one could locate Pliev's left ring finger.

Thankfully, the mangled finger was discovered tucked away in his glove ... and Khetag -- who has a 5-1 record -- was taken to a hospital where the finger was reattached.

And, good news, he says the finger is in working order.

So, MMA career dunzo, right? Nope.

Pliev is fighting Nah-Shon Burrell Saturday night at Cage Fury Fighting Championship 99 ... and when we talked to the 37-year-old fighter, it's clear he isn't the least bit concerned about the injury.

In fact, he promised a 1st round knockout.

Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou -- interim champ vs. champ -- will unify the UFC's heavyweight title in the near future ... and when the 2 goliaths fight, "Bon Gamin" wants it to go down in France.

Both fighters have a strong connection to the country. 31-year-old Gane was born in La Roche-sur-Yon, France. 34-year-old Ngannou moved to the country as a 22-year-old ... traveling to Paris to start his MMA career.

So, when TMZ Sports talked to Gane -- fresh off his dominating victory over Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 -- we asked him if there's been talk of holding the event in Ciryl's home country.

"Yes, a lot of people talk about [the fight in France]. Yes this is possible, and I hope, hopefully, this is going to be in my country," Gane says.

"I think for the debut of the UFC, probably it will be a great fight for starting this, and it will be a big success for sure. We have a lot of fun and friends, and big potential."

There's a good reason there hasn't been a UFC fight in France ... the sport was illegal in the country until last year. But, now it's not ... and it's clear Gane thinks now is a perfect time to bring the promotion to the country.

We also asked the 10-0 fighter about his newfound fame ... and whether he plans on following fighters like Randy Couture and Michael Bisping into the acting world.

Jake Paul is rolling out the royal red carpet for his fight against Tyron Woodley ... telling TMZ Sports he wants LeBron James front and center for the big night!!

Of course, Paul is slated to duke it out with Woodley on Aug. 29 in Cleveland ... just a stone's throw from where the YouTube superstar (Westlake) and NBA champ (Akron) grew up.

Jake says it's truly a special night for the city and the state ... so he wants the biggest local names to make an appearance and cheer him on.

"I think it’s just really cool that this is sort of an Ohio affair," Paul tells us, "and, not a lot of boxing matches take place in Ohio, let alone Cleveland."

With that being said, Jake is hoping to see the ex-Cavalier come through for his event ... giving a personal invite to the King.

"LeBron, pull up baby!!!" Paul said.

"When I was 12, came and saw your games. I paid good money for some front row seats. I was yelling at you from the crowds."

"And so, I think it’s only right that you pull up and yell, "Jake! Jake! But look, LeBron, this one’s for the city man, pull up!"

JP's also inviting Ohioans who killed it in the Tokyo Olympics -- from Zach Apple to Katie Nageotte (who he just invited on Monday) and more.

"Katie taking gold, Duke Regan boxing coming up a silver. Oshae Jones with the bronze. We got swimmers Zach Apple, Hunter Armstrong both getting gold in swimming."

"Like, the Ohioans were crushing it. So, I was like come on down to the fight and it’s perfect timing. It’s right after the Olympics. They get to chill out, and maybe grab a beer!"

Boxing fans still hoping to see Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence square off in the ring ... don't give up hope just yet, 'cause the legendary pugilist tells us he's down to scrap with the 31-year-old once he's healed up.

Of course, 42-year-old Pacquiao and Spence -- the IBF and WBC welterweight champ -- were scheduled to box August 21 in Las Vegas ... but doctors discovered Errol had a torn retina -- a serious eye injury -- during pre-fight medical evaluations.

But, the fight isn't dead just yet.

TMZ Sports spoke to PacMan just minutes after the fight was canceled ... and we asked the 8-division world champ if he'd re-book the bout in the future.

"I have no problem [fighting Spence]. As long as he’s still physically fit, then okay," Pacquiao says.

Errol's out, but Manny -- coming off wins over Keith Thurman and Adrien Broner -- is still fighting later this month ... taking on the WBA Super Welterweight champion, Yordenis Ugas.

Ugas isn't regarded as a top pound-for-pound fighter like Spence, but MP says he isn't overlooking the 2008 Olympic bronze medal winner.

Jake Paul was so amazed by all the U.S. women in the 2020 Olympics, he's personally inviting one to his Tyron Woodley fight -- pole vaulter and fellow Ohioan Katie Nageotte!!!

Paul took a second to show love for all the U.S women who competed at the Tokyo Games on Twitter Monday ... congratulating the American ladies on their "amazing stats."

"U.S. women won 66 medals, comprising a record 58.4% of the American total ... that’s insane!!," the YouTube superstar said.

Of the 66 medals, 23 were gold ... one belonging to Nageotte.

The 30-year-old won it all in the pole vault after clearing a 4.90 meter on her second attempt ... making her the third woman in U.S. Olympics to win the gold in the event.

Nageotte also happens to be from Northeast Ohio -- just like Paul -- and he's inviting her to come watch him box in the ring against Woodley in The Land.

"Katie if you are reading this I hope you will come to my fight in Cleveland as my guest on August 29th!"

Nageotte noticed the invite and retweeted the post ... so maybe we'll see her front and center rocking the gold at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

BTW -- Nageotte channeled her inner LeBron James after her big moment ... saying, "Cleveland, this is for you!!!"

You punch a horse ... you're outta the Olympics.

That's what happened to a modern pentathlon coach when she put hands on Saint Boy during the jumping competition.

Annika Schleu was having big problems controlling Saint Boy ... who appeared spooked. Her German coach, Kim Raisner, was trying to help Annika, but the horse wasn't cooperating.

The way the competition works ... the riders only have 20 minutes with the horse before the competition ... she apparently had never ridden Saint Boy before, and the horse wasn't having it. In fact, the rider before Annika also had big problems ... Saint Boy wouldn't trot on command and even bucked.

Enter Annika, who was the leader in the competition when she entered the arena in tears, clearly knowing the ride would be super difficult.

That's when Kim allegedly punched Saint Boy ... unclear if the point was to get the horse to obey commands or if it was just frustration. Nevertheless, officials disqualified her from the Games. BTW ... Kim competed in the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The race did not go well for Annika ... Saint Boy meandered around the course and refused a couple of jumps.

Annika used her whip to get the horse to comply, to no avail. Saint Boy cleared 4 hurdles but the 5th was a fail, which eventually took Annika from 1st to last.

Francis Ngannou says Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane is a great fight ... but what it's not?? A title fight, 'cause there's already an undisputed UFC heavyweight champ -- and it's him.

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Ngannou on Friday ... ahead of tonight's interim heavyweight title fight between Lewis and Gane at UFC 265.

"It's just a contender fight. It's not an interim or whatever them guys are talking about. It's a contender fight. They're fighting for the #1 spot contender. It's not a title fight for me."

FYI, 36-year-old Lewis is the #2 ranked heavyweight ... and 31-year-old Gane #3.

So, not for an interim title in "The Predator's" mind ... but that doesn't mean Francis doesn't think it's a kickass matchup.

"I think it's a good fight. I like the fight. I like the styles. Opposite sides. It can be a fun fight."

Of course, "The Black Beast" has crazyyyy power (he's KO'd 20 MMA opponents) ...while Gane is an incredible athlete for a man his size, and has great fundamentals.

The winner will presumably face Ngannou sometime in the near future.

We asked Francis if he had a message for the rest of the division ... and he left us with this.

Derrick Lewis might hit like a ton of bricks, but UFC star Ciryl Gane says The Black Beast is NOT the most dangerous guy he's stepped in a cage with, telling TMZ Sports that honor belongs to Alexander Volkov.

We talked to 31-year-old Gane -- a perfect 9-0 in the cage (including 6-0 in the Octagon) -- about his UFC 265 main event fight with Lewis for the UFC's Interim Heavyweight Title ... and asked if this was the riskiest fight of his career.

"No, I don't think so. I think Volkov was more dangerous than him. Yeah, I think Volkov was more well-rounded at first, Volkov was taller, heavier, and more technical than him," Gane says.

If you're not familiar, 32-year-old Volkov is a problem in the Octagon. He's 6'7", and has has beat some of the best competition in MMA, from Alistair Overeem to Fabricio Werdum.

But, Lewis is also incredibly dangerous ... and has scary power. He's got 20 knockouts on his record ... and the last time he was in the Octagon, he put Curtis Blaydes to sleep.

Of course, a win would set Gane up for a scrap with Heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou ... but that fight will have to wait a few months 'cause Gane's expecting a baby!!

"I think I'm gonna rest a little bit. I don't know if you know, but I’m waiting for a second daughter."

It's only been 24 days since Conor McGregor shattered his left leg during the Dustin Poirier trilogy fight ... but The Notorious is already standing on the busted limb.

TMZ Sports has obtained a photo of McGregor outside of a Beverly Hills hotel ... rocking a walking boot, standing while chatting with a friend.

We're told shortly after the photo was taken, McGregor sat on his scooter and rode into the hotel gym -- where he put himself through a workout.

It's pretty damn impressive ... considering the injury only happened at UFC 264 on July 10.

Of course, Conor broke his left tibia and fibula ... and required a titanium rod, plate and screws to hold his shattered leg together.

Since the surgery the day after the fight, we've seen Conor do everything from working out to jamming out at a Justin Bieber concert (the 2 men also chilled together poolside).

To compare, Tiger Woods -- who also broke his tibia and fibula (amongst other injuries to the leg) in a February 23 car crash -- was still using crutches 155 days after his accident.

UFC star Sean O'Malley just brought the meaning of self-love to a whole 'notha level ... by getting a tattoo of himself on his neck!!!

The heavily tatted bantamweight fighter decided to add to his ink collection this week ... hitting up tattoo shop The California Dream in North Hollywood.

Romeo Lacoste -- owner of the shop -- posted photos of himself workin' on the 26-year-old on Instagram ... immortalizing his jump shot celebration after knocking out Thomas Almeida in March at UFC 260.

The piece is as detailed as it gets -- it even includes O'Malley's body art ... which means it's tats on tats!!!

"VICTORY Tattoo!! for @sugaseanmma 💪🏻💪🏻 ", Lacoste said on IG, "Had the pleasure of knocking this piece out (no pun intended) 😂."

"Thanks for coming in and the good time. More to come soon!"

We believe it -- just 2 weeks ago, O'Malley let rapper 6ix9ine tat his '69' logo on his right shoulder -- with the help from Tatu Panda.

A few flight attendants are temporarily relieved of duty after their bosses at Frontier Airlines deemed that duct taping an unruly passenger to his seat might have crossed a line.

Check out this insane video that was captured Saturday on a Frontier flight from Philly to Miami ... in which a young guy is seen losing it on passengers, yelling at them that his parents are worth $2 mil and other bizarre ramblings. He's cussing out the flight attendants as well, who were trying to calm him down.

Eventually, he gets into a scuffle with a male flight attendant ... and he's finally restrained to a seat with a ton of duct tape. The rest of the passengers were cheering his detainment.

As for what exactly led up to all this ... the guy's name is Max Berry, and he reportedly emerged from the lavatory shirtless after he'd spilled a drink on himself. As some attendants helped him get a new shirt from his bag, he allegedly went around groping some female attendants' breasts, and things escalated to where the clip starts.

He was arrested and booked on several charges upon landing, but Frontier says it also suspended some of the flight crew in question as an investigation gets underway.

This isn't the first time we've seen passengers held down in this way -- it happened earlier this year on an American Airlines flight where a woman appeared to be having a breakdown.

Joe Judge went absolutely ballistic on his Giants players after they were involved in an all-out brawl Tuesday ... punishing them with cuss words, sprints and push-ups!!

It all went down during the Giants' first day of full pads ... after running back Corey Clement got rocked by Jabrill Peppers at the end of a play.

Giants tight end Evan Engram apparently felt it was a somewhat dirty hit, so he jumped in to defend Clement. That's when cornerback Logan Ryan jumped in to defend Peppers, and then all hell broke loose.

Reporters on the scene say EVERYONE got involved in the melee ... with even quarterback Daniel Jones somehow ending up at the bottom of the dogpile!!

Of course, that set Judge off ... with multiple reporters saying the dude completely lost his mind on his players.

Judge made the team run full, 100-yard wind sprints over and over and over again ... and then forced them to do push-ups.

It was so intense, Giants reporter Pat Leonard said it "would not surprise me if someone starts puking here."

Judge eventually called the team up to berate them some more over the fracas ... before ending the workout.

Afterward, the Giants insisted it was all nothing more than just a heated practice ... with Jones (who wasn't injured in the brawl) explaining, "Guys certainly got the message today."

Boxer Adrien Broner had to be restrained while furiously trying to get to a group of people ... after a night of clubbing in his hometown of Cincinnati -- and the whole incident was caught on cell phone camera.

TMZ Sports acquired video taken outside the Copa Lounge in Cinci on Friday, July 23. The 32-year-old former 4-weight class world champ is clearly agitated, and has to be held back.

At one point, the video shows 34-4-1 Broner squaring up to another man. He never throws a punch or makes contact with anyone.

We're told peace was ultimately restored ... cops were not involved, and no one was arrested.

AB -- for all his talent in the squared circle (and he's got a lot) -- has had a bunch of run-ins with the law outside it ... from DUI's to alleged assaults and robberies.

As for fighting inside the ring, Broner earned a unanimous decision victory against Jovanie Santiago in February. It was AB's first fight since losing to the legendary Manny Pacquiao ... a more than 2-year layoff.