Fights

The day after Riddick Bowe was pulled from his fight with Lamar Odom, the former NBA star has a new opponent, and it happens to be a dude who knows what it's like to have an insanely famous wife ... 'cause he was married to J Lo.

TMZ Sports has learned 47-year-old Ojani Noa has agreed to fight the 41-year-old ex-hooper on October 2 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, FL ... all part of a Celebrity Boxing card.

If you don't remember Noa, a former server, he was married to Lopez from 1997 to 1998 ... before they split.

Of course, Odom, the 2x NBA champ, was married to Khloe Kardashian from 2009 to 2016.

Odom -- who beat pop star Aaron Carter via 2nd round TKO in June -- was originally scheduled to fight former heavyweight boxing champ, Bowe.

However, after 58-year-old Evander Holyfield recently lost to Vitor Belfort ... and didn't look great in the ring, everyone from Celebrity Boxing to the Florida state athletic commission thought it best to remove him from the match.

Riddick isn't totally off the event ... Paulie Malignaggi is also boxing Corey B on the card. Bowe will referee that fight.

Ojani was actually scheduled to step in the ring against a much shorter opponent last year ... having inked a deal to scrap with Joe Giudice. However, COVID screwed up those plans.

After 6.5 years away, Nick Diaz is about to make his return to the Octagon, taking on Robbie Lawler ... but Dana White admits he doesn't know if the star from Stockton will fight again after UFC 265.

TMZ Sports talked to the UFC prez on Wednesday, days before Diaz is scheduled to fight for the first time since January 2015 (a no contest vs. Anderson Silva) ... and we asked if the comeback meant Diaz was back now as a full-time fighter.

"I don't know. I never know that either. We'll take it one fight at a time," Dana told us.

FYI, it's not the first time the men have fought. Diaz beat Lawler via 2nd round knockout way back in 2004.

Despite the long layoff, Nick's one of the most accomplished MMA fighters of all time... with wins over everyone from B.J. Penn to Frank Shamrock.

But, with over 2,400 days between fights, will it take time for Nick to reacclimate himself to the Octagon?

"Ring rust is absolutely real and especially when you haven't been in here that long, but you never know what to expect from the Diaz brothers. You know what everybody does though? On Saturday, they show up and they fight -- that's it!"

Valentina Shevchenko is also on the card ... where she's a MASSIVE favorite over Lauren Murphy.

Last week we asked The Bullet if she was interested in a trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes ... and she said she was definitely down.

We asked White about making Nunes-Shevchenko 3 ... and he warned that no one should overlook Woods.

"Obviously, you can't look past Lauren Murphy and start looking at Amanda Nunes again. Lauren Murphy has a lot of knockdowns and submissions in her career. So, when you have women that are that size that can actually knock out other women, it's impressive."

But, with that said, Dana made it clear he isn't against pairing arguably the 2 best female MMA fighters in the world against each other.

"Listen, Valentina Shevchenko is a savage. I mean, her and Amanda Nunes are two of the greatest female fighters to ever walk the face of the Earth and if she gets through Lauren Murphy on Saturday, maybe there is a fight for them down the road."

We couldn't let Dana go without asking about Conor McGregor's (terrible) 1st pitch at the Cubs game earlier this week ... the epitome of the reason White says he ALWAYS says no when he's asked to throw the ceremonial pitch.

Tyron Woodley says his body will officially say "I Love Jake Paul" this weekend ... revealing he is still going to follow through on his tattoo bet after losing to the YouTube boxer last month.

So, now the question is ... rematch back on?!

As we previously reported, Woodley claims he tried like hell to get inked up in Cleveland after JP won via split decision ... telling TMZ Sports he waited and waited, but no one was around to do the job.

Despite TW's efforts, Jake said Woodley didn't hold up his end of the deal and moved on from rematch talks to focus on Tommy Fury ... but negotiations have gone essentially nowhere.

With Jake's next opponent up in the air, Woodley told MMA reporter Ariel Helwani he's STILL going to get the tat -- and he thinks a rematch with Paul is still the smartest move for both sides.

"Tommy Fury should have never even been in position for the bag," Woodley said Wednesday night.

"I’m gonna just let the week go through and see what happens. I think the most sensible thing to do is run it back."

Woodley says he's finally getting the tat on Saturday because "it's the solid thing to do" ... so it sounds like it's for sure happening even if a Jake rematch isn't in the cards.

As for the location of the tat, Tyron says he's still not sure where to get it on his body ... but it sounds like he has no plans to get it removed in the future.

"To me, it's like this ... if a dude want to pay me to whoop his ass -- since he supposedly paid me and promoted the fight -- then I love you!!"

Knives pulled, hit with bottles. Spiders, snakes. No heat or Internet. That's just some of what MMA fighter James Yang -- Demetrious Johnson's protégé -- experienced while living at a Shaolin martial arts academy in China ... and he says that adversity helped prepare him for his first pro fight.

TMZ Sports talked to 32-year-old Yang ahead of his highly anticipated debut at ONE Championship's ONE: REVOLUTION later this week ... and James broke down his experience living in the temple as a 17-year-old, and it sounds scary.

"I was living in rural China, and it was out in the farmlands where we barely had any heat. We had no Internet, very bad. And, just the living conditions were just horrible. But, that adversity is something that made me who I am today. Some people would look at it as a bad thing, but for me, I looked at it as all beneficial."

Yang says at the time, foreigners weren't accepted in the region where he was living ... so venturing out of the temple grounds could get very dangerous.

"I seen guys get bottled in the head. I had knives pulled on me. These kinda things happen out there. But, it made me stronger. It didn't make me weak or anything."

If his time in China didn't already make him the most interesting MMA fighter in the world ... James also detailed his time spent performing with Cirque du Soleil.

Yang ultimately chose fighting over performing ... and has been training with Mighty Mouse at AMC Pankration in Washington.

Now, it's almost time for Yang -- a featherweight -- to fight ... and he's taking on MMA vet, Roel “Akiyama” Rosauro.

Rosauro last fought in January 2020 ... and won by unanimous decision.

Yang's fight -- as well as 3 title fights -- all go down Friday morning at 6:30 AM ET ... and is available live on Bleacher Report, B/R's YouTube Channel, and B/R's app.

In closing, we asked what fans can expect from his first MMA fight ... and James delivered an ominous answer.

"Brutal violence. That's it. Brutality."

Riddick Bowe will NOT be fighting against Lamar Odom next month -- the boxing legend has been yanked from the event as a result of Evander Holyfield's performance earlier this month, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the 53-year old former undisputed heavyweight champ was slated to go up against the NBA champ at James L. Knight Arena in Miami on Oct. 2.

But, after "The Real Deal" suffered a brutal technical knockout against Vitor Belfort at Triller Fight Club, Celebrity Boxing founder Damon Feldman decided it was best for everyone's safety to find a different opponent for 41-year-old Odom.

Bowe had been training hard leading up to the fight ... but ultimately, the idea was scrapped.

It's probably good news for all involved ... and plenty of folks in boxing will be happy to hear it.

After all, famous promoter Lou DiBella was LIVID with the idea of Bowe getting in the ring ... saying, "No. Just NO!!!! This is barbaric and beyond dangerous."

Now, Feldman is on the search to find Odom's replacement at the last minute ... so who knows, maybe we get an Odom vs. Aaron Carter II??

Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant couldn't wait 'til November to try to punch each other in the face ... 'cause the two just exchanged blows at a pre-fight event, with Alvarez making Plant bleed.

The boxers stared each other down before taking questions from media members in Los Angeles ... when suddenly, things got intense between the two.

Broadcast cameras showed Canelo shoved Plant ... and then repeatedly called him a "motherf***er."

That's when Plant came back and tried to land a huge haymaker ... which Canelo appeared to dodge.

Canelo then tagged Plant with a flurry of punches -- knocking off his sunglasses and causing the fighter to bleed from his right eye area.

Eventually, the two were separated ... but Plant needed a white cloth to get the cut to stop oozing blood.

The drama, though didn't stop there ... 'cause the guys got heated, yet again, later in the press conference, with Plant calling Canelo a "motherf***er" as well as "a bitch."

Fight night is officially set for Nov. 6 in Las Vegas ... but it's clear the two certainly wouldn't mind trying to beat the hell out of each other multiple times before then.

Devin Clark sustained one of the most gruesome injuries you'll ever see in a combat sports event ... and now the UFC fighter is answering the question -- how much it did hurt?!?

"It was probably a 7 or 8 after the fight. You fight the fight. He got his hand raised. Then that adrenaline starts coming, and it comes down quick. And, by the time I'm leaving the cage, I'm like, 'Okay, that hurts,'" Clark tells TMZ Sports.

If you didn't see the injury (lucky you) ... it was incredibly gross. Devin was fighting fellow light heavyweight fighter Ion Cutelaba at UFC Fight Night Saturday afternoon.

31-year-old Clark ate a heavy knee in the 2nd round ... a shot so hard it literally displaced Clark's teeth.

It was bothering him so much during the fight, he went back to his corner before the 3rd round, and told his team something was wrong with his teeth.

The ringside doctor even examined Clark at one point ... but somehow let him continue.

And, continue he did, despite the pain.

After the fight, Clark went to the hospital and they patched him up. On Tuesday, he plans to see his dentist ... and the road to recovery won't be easy or quick.

Jake Paul says Tommy Fury has been ducking him left and right ... claiming he's offered the boxer the biggest payday of his life, but TNT won't sign on the dotted line.

"Tommy 'Fury' has denied 2 abundant offers from my team," Jake tweeted on Tuesday.

Jake is now taking negotiations public ... saying this is his last chance to take on the biggest fight of his career.

"Timmy 'Fury' ... this is your last offer ... $1 million, 8 rounds. 4x more than you have ever made," he added.

"Either step up and fight OR accept that you and your Dad don't believe in you @tommytntfury."

The Problem Child has been going IN on Fury recently ... even mocking his recent shirtless club appearance.

As for Tommy, he previously told us he'd make quick work of Jake ... saying he'd knock out the YouTuber-turned-boxer in 3 minutes.

Tommy said Tuesday he was hoping to get back in the ring "ASAP" ... and Jake replied by saying he's down to fight in December.

32 years after their controversial rematch -- a blockbuster fight billed "The War" -- Sugar Ray Leonard is admitting judges got it wrong ... and Tommy Hearns should've been declared winner of the super fight.

"1989, you should've won. You should've got the decision," Robinson told Hearns, as the boxing greats stood face-to-face on an L.A. sidewalk Monday, talking to TMZ Sports.

We talked to 65-year-old Leonard and 62-year-old Hearns as they were leaving Doug Ellin and Kevin Dillon's "Victory The Podcast" ... where they commemorated the 40th anniversary of their first fight in 1981 (Ray won by 14th round TKO ... handing The Hitman his first L).

But, it wasn't the 1st fight we were discussing ... it was the highly disputed rematch that followed 8 years later in 1989.

The fight was very close ... and the scorecards proved as much. One judge scored the fight 113-112, Robinson. Another scored it 113-112, Hearns. Meanwhile, a third judge had it all knotted up at 112-112 ... meaning the fight was declared a draw.

No official winner ... despite the fact man fans and the television announcers believed Hearns won fair and square.

And, now, decades later, Sugar Ray himself is admitting he lost the rematch.

We asked Tommy if it was the first time Ray admitted he should've won ... and sure enough, Hearns said it was.

"Yes, the first time. It's not gonna be the last time," The Hitman laughed.

Bottom line ... these Hall of Famers are two of the greatest fighters who have ever lived, and it's awesome to see they're buddies all these years later!

A Chargers fan was socked in the face repeatedly by Dallas Cowboys supporters in a wild, violent brawl Sunday ... and the insane scene was all captured on video obtained by TMZ Sports.

The crazy fight began in the parking lot area of SoFi Stadium following the Cowboys' win over the Chargers ... when two women got into a heated argument.

You can see in the footage -- the two screamed at each other ... and then nearly came to blows.

As the scuffle was escalating, though ... one Cowboys fan screamed to a man trying to break up the tiff to "control your bitch."

That's when the L.A. supporter lost it -- calling the man a bitch as well, before charging at him and yelling, "F*** you!"

Complete chaos then ensued ... with several Cowboys fans rushing the man and whaling on him.

At one point, you can see in the clip, a man in a Troy Aikman jersey brutally tagged the Chargers fan in the face with a flurry of punches.

Eventually, the combatants separated ... and witnesses tell us the aftermath was bad, with blood all over one car -- while another car's side mirror was busted.

We're also told despite bystanders calling for cops and security ... nobody showed up until the fight was long over.

The brawl was far from the only altercation at the stadium following Dallas' big win ... with one scrap escalating so heavily, it ended up with people inside the stadium's water feature.

Oscar De La Hoya is gunning for a fight with one of the greatest boxers of all-time, Floyd Mayweather, telling TMZ Sports he's got $100 MILLION for Money if he accepts.

And, he wants to fight this year.

We got 48-year-old De La Hoya leaving Rossoblu in L.A. with girlfriend Holly Sonders ... and we asked the boxing legend how he felt after being hospitalized with COVID.

"5 days of hell" is how ODLH described the virus ... but what he really wanted to talk about was returning to the ring.

"You know who I'm gonna call out for my next fight? Floyd Mayweather."

And, that's when Oscar threw out the crazy lucrative proposal, saying ... "I'll offer Floyd Mayweather $100 million."

Remember, De La Hoya hasn't fought since losing to Manny Pacquiao in 2008 ... but was scheduled to return to the ring against Vitor Belfort earlier this month -- before he came down with COVID.

As for 44-year-old Floyd, he's been far more active. His last pro fight was against Conor McGregor in 2017, but he's had several exhibition fights since, including a June 2021 scrap against Logan Paul.

Of course, boxing fans will know Oscar and Floyd -- who had 10 division titles between them -- fought back in 2007 ... in one of the biggest fights of the decade. Mayweather defeated De La Hoya via a split decision.

Gabby Petito's boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, allegedly slapped and hit her in the run-up to them being pulled over and questioned by a cop in Utah, shortly before she vanished ... this according to a 911 caller, who claimed to have witnessed violence.

FOX obtained the 911 call in question, which was placed on August 12 near Moab, Utah -- not too far from where Gabby and Brian were eventually pulled over later that day by a city cop, whose body camera captured a distraught Gabby ...  and Brian unseemly denying anything had happened between them.

Check out the audio ... you hear a man tell the operator he's calling to report a domestic dispute he says he saw in town, going on to paint a picture of the white van Gabby and Brian had been traveling in, while also providing a license plate number ... and descriptions of both of them.

When the operator asks point blank what he saw them doing ... the guy doesn't hesitate -- he says he saw the man slapping and hitting the female, then both of them running up and down the sidewalk ... and finally jumping into the van and driving off.

Not long after this, Gabby and Brian were, in fact, stopped by a Moab officer and questioned. While neither Gabby nor Brian admitted to any physical confrontation -- it was clear the former was having a hard time and going through some sort of a breakdown, as she started to cry in front of the cop. Brian, for his part, said they'd just been arguing ... nothing more.

Interestingly enough, FOX reports that an official police account of this entire incident claimed "no one reported that the male struck the female" -- which appears to be contradicted here.

As we reported ... the feds announced Sunday that they believe they found the remains of Gabby's body in a national park in Wyoming, one of the last places she's said to have been with Brian -- who came back to Florida solo, and who has since gone missing himself.

Roman Reigns is only hours away from a rare appearance on WWE's Raw -- reigniting a new rivalry with The New Day and The Bloodline -- and Kofi Kingston says it's gonna be crazzzy!!

TMZ Sports talked to Kingston Monday afternoon ... and we asked the former WWE Champion about Roman Reigns, Jey & Jimmy Uso taking on KK, Xavier Woods and newly crowned WWE Champion, Big E.

"Big E is the WWE champion right now. Roman Reigns the Universal Champion. And we're getting to see the two people are at the top of our industry go toe-to-toe, not to mention with the Uso's and myself and Woods going at it 1 more time, as we have all grown. That in and of itself is gonna be well worth the price of admission," Kofi says.

Of course, The Uso's and The New Day have history ... as did The New Day and The Shield.

But, if you're looking for a lot of trash talk, this ain't the clip for you ... 'cause Kofi says the men have brought out the absolute best in each other over the years.

"[The Bloodline] are the best versions of themselves right now, and then you have [The New Day], probably the strongest bond in the history of WWE," Kofi says.

"I don't know if there's ever been a stronger bond than us. And all the things we've been able to do, and now we are back together, and we're doing it at a high level."

Two great tag teams clashing at the height of their powers.

We also talked to Kingston about watching his best friend, E, beat Bobby Lashley and take his belt ... a very anxious moment for Kofi.

"I feel like I was wayyy more nervous for E in this situation than I was for myself a couple years ago. But I look over at E in gorilla [position] and he's just like cool as a cucumber, at least on the outside, not nervous at all."

A wild melee broke out at a tailgate party just before the Browns' game Sunday ... with several Cleveland fans rockin' each other in the face with violent punches.

The insanity was all captured on video just before the Browns took on the Texans at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.

You can see in the footage of the calamity ... the brawl initially began when two fans squared up to fight in the middle of the parking lot.

The scrap was fairly unspectacular -- the dudes connected on only a few punches -- but then when other fans got involved to try to break it all up ... complete chaos ensued.

Video shows about half a dozen people began throwing haymakers at each other ... and eventually, the fracas grew so large, the combatants crashed into a nearby table.

The fight didn't stop there, though ... 'cause they kept scrapping while on the ground, throwing more wild punches.

Eventually, everyone got off each other and dispersed.

It's unclear if any arrests were made over the incident -- we've reached out to police, but so far, no word back yet.

Olivia Rodrigo's set turned into fight night for a couple fans who just couldn't keep their hands to themselves while others around them continued to enjoy the show.

Rodrigo took the stage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Vegas Saturday and for whatever reason, two female fans got into an argument. Things were quick to turn physical after one fan put hands on the other ... and then fists started to fly.

The funniest part of the clip, fans surrounding the brawl continued to sing along as Olivia performed her hit song "Drivers License" on the massive stage in front.

Unclear if security eventually had to step in or if either of the fighting fans was thrown out, but Olivia's set was only 5 songs ... so hopefully everything got sorted out in time to enjoy the whole show. Olivia must not have noticed the scuffle, at one point reportedly telling her audience, "You guys are just like the best crowd ever. This is amazing."

"Crazy that after 17 years we're back in it, we're still in the mix, fighting on a big card. All the fans are excited, so its nice to go out there and put on a show for the fans."

That's Robbie Lawler telling TMZ Sports about fighting Nick Diaz ... 6,386 days after first battling his fellow MMA legend at UFC 47 (we're at 266 now).

FYI, Lawler lost by knockout in the 2nd round.

We asked 39-year-old Lawler whether there's anything he can take from the 2004 fight ... but Ruthless Robbie said the fight happened just too damn long ago.

"Not too much [to learn], 'cause I mean I've evolved so much from that fight, learned so much from that."

To make prep even harder for Lawler ... 38-year-old Diaz hasn't fought since his no contest against Anderson Silva at UFC 183 in 2015.

But, Lawler doesn't expect a rusty or run-down Nick ... he believes he'll get a prime version of the fighter from Stockton, Cali.

As for Lawler's future (he's lost his last 4 against guys like Colby Covington and Rafael dos Anjos), we asked him if it's possible next Saturday will be the last time we ever see him in a UFC Octagon.

"Nah, it's not possible. I've been doing this for a long time. My body feels good. Just waiting for good fights that get me excited, and this is one of those fights. Nick Diaz is a big name, and this is gonna be a big event."