Fights

Dana White has entered the Jake Paul vs. Claressa Shields beef ... eviscerating the YouTube superstar for calling the boxer/MMA fighter a "loser" ... saying, "I hope he runs into her somewhere and she knocks him the f*** out."

Jake recently called out "T-Rex" after her first loss as a pro fighter with PFL earlier this week ... saying, "Claressa Shields is a loser. In MMA, and even more so with her prima donna attitude."

Dana -- who hates the Paul bros. with a burning passion -- got wind of Jake's comments ... and he didn't hold back.

"Jake Paul calls Claressa Shields a loser? Claressa Shields is nothing but a winner who actually fought real people in her weight class, in her own age, in her own sport and then goes over to MMA and tries to win a world title," he told MMA Fighting. "That's not a loser, that's a winner."

There's more -- "When are you gonna start fighting somebody your own f***ng age, your own weight, that actually fights in your own f***ing sport that you're claiming you're in? Shut the f*** up, you goofball. For you to call Claressa Shields a loser is f***ing unbelievable!!"

Dana also showered Shields with praise ... adding, "Nothing but respect for Claressa Shields."

"To be looked at as the best female boxer, right, and to come over here and start training and start to do this, not easy. Nothing but respect for her."

Yolanda Hadid claims Zayn Malik struck her last week and she's seriously considering filing a police report, sources with direct knowledge tell us.

Our sources say Yolanda says it happened at some point last week. We don't have the details of what she claims triggered the alleged assault, but we're told Yolanda stands by her account. She claims Zayn "struck" her.

Zayn just posted that he's a private person and did not want this to become public, but, "in an effort to protect that space for [my daughter] I agreed to not contest claims arising from an argument I had with a family member of my partner's who entered our home while my partner was away several weeks ago. This was and still should be a private matter but it seems for now there is divisiveness and despite my efforts to restore us to a peaceful family environment that will allow for me to co-parent my daughter in a manner in which she deserves, this has been 'leaked' to the press."

Yolanda was out and about Thursday morning in the SoHo district of New York City.

As you know, Zayn is dating Gigi Hadid and the couple have a 1-year-old daughter together.

As far as we know, there's never been an issue between Yolanda and Zayn.

Our sources say Yolanda's inclination is to file a police report, but we checked and so far there's nothing on file.

Logan Paul got in a physical altercation with a man outside an L.A. hotspot late Wednesday night ... slapping a heckler upside the head after he called the YouTube superstar a "p***y."

26-year-old Logan was waiting outside Nightingale in WeHo when a bunch of autograph seekers came up to him and started asking about his rumored fight with Mike Tyson.

When LP ignored the questions, one man called him out and said, "Are you a p***y, or what??" ... before trying to walk away.

That's when Logan aggressively approached the man ... getting in his face and shoving him before smacking him in the head.

The crowd is audibly shocked ... with several people gasping and saying, "Oh s***."

Logan's friend and "Impaulsive" podcast co-host Mike Majlak jumped into action ... pushing and shoving the heckler backwards before security came in and bear-hugged the guy away.

Majlak urged Logan to go into the club, but both guys were able to calm down and even joke with each other as Paul waited for valet to bring his Polaroid camera from his car.

Of course, Logan has been facing off against much bigger and more talented competition recently ... going 8 rounds with Floyd Mayweather back in June.

What's bizarre -- Logan maintained a smile throughout the whole incident ... but it's clear the altercation was pretty tense.

Logan eventually gets reunited with his beloved camera and heads into the club ... but accidentally drops it on his way in.

Colby Covington says he'll have some pretty powerful and famous guests in the building when he rematches Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 ... telling TMZ Sports he's expecting Donald Trump's kids, Don Jr., Eric and Lara Trump Octagon-side.

We talked to the 33-year-old, #1 ranked UFC welterweight ... and asked him if former President Trump or his fam would be at Madison Square Garden on November 6.

"Yes, there will be some members of the Trump family there. You know, I was just talking to Donald Trump yesterday. He was at the golf course, giving me his well wishes," Colby says.

"I know he has a big rally that day so I’m not sure if he’s gonna be able to make it, but I’m sure that I’ll have my average phone call with him after my every fight. So, I’ll be talking to him."

Of course, Colby and Donald -- a big MMA fan who's also tight with Dana White -- have been friends for a while. Covington even visited DT at the White House a few years back.

So, likely no 45 ... but Covington expects 3 of the prez's children to be there for the stacked fight card, that also features Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler and Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili.

Great fights ... but, the biggest draw is Covington vs. Usman 2, the main event.

The first fight was electric (Kamaru won via 5th round TKO) ... and fight promotion aside, these guys still HATE each other.

And, Covington has revenge on his mind ... saying he intends to take back the belt (CC was interim champ),

"It’s amazing having [the Trump family's] support. I have this energy that I get from [Donald]. I call it 'dragon energy' and I’m gonna unleash that dragon energy next weekend," Colby says.

Fresh off beating a 200+ lb. Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori already has his eye on Israel Adesanya, promising TMZ Sports he'll "f*** him up" the next time he sees Izzy.

Presumably, Marvin means in the Octagon ... and not on sight.

We talked to the UFC star outside a Beverly Hills restaurant Tuesday night -- just 3 days after the Costa fight -- and asked the 28-year-old fighter about Adesanya calling Marvin's fight with Paulo a "s*** show."

"He's full of s***. He never gives me credit, but he knows. He knows what's up. I'm the only guy who's gonna beat him, and eventually, I will. It's just a matter of time," Vettori says.

He continued ... "I saw clips of that video man, he's full of s***. I'm gonna f*** him up next time I see him, that's for sure."

The Vettori and Adesanya beef is nothing new. The men fought twice previously -- in 2018 and 2021 -- with Izzy winning both by decision, though, Marvin believes he was the true winner of their first fight in 2018.

Vettori -- who has wins over Kevin Holland and Jack Hermansson -- jumped up 3 spots in the middleweight rankings ... and now sits at #2, behind only Robert Whittaker and champ Adesanya.

Izzy and Rob are fighting early next year. So, what's next for Marvin in the meantime? We asked.

All hell broke loose at a dog show in Florida last weekend -- when people threw haymakers AND chairs at each other in an insane brawl -- and the wild scene was all caught on video!

The fight went down at an event called the Miami Bully Takeover at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel near Miami airport last Saturday ... and it appeared to all start over a verbal argument between two women.

A spectator in the crowd caught the chaos on camera after things turned physical -- and you can see in the video, it's violent.

The footage shows two men striking each other, while another man picked up a chair and threw it. You can also see in the clip another person was being stomped out on the ground.

Eventually, the fight was broken up ... but a few seconds later, another fight started in a different area -- with more chairs and punches flying.

Security finally stepped in to shut everything down ... and thankfully, no humans or dogs were reported injured.

One of the organizers of the event -- which was a bully breed convention for dogs, owners, kennels, rescues and vendors -- apologized for the melee on social media following all the day's action.

"My heart really hurts and I know the money that goes into showing and We want to make it right and refund people that were unable to show," the organizer said. "I wanted to finish but the cops would not allow it."

"My shows are family shows and this really is hurtful and not the image I want people to see."

The organizer added, "It's truly sad that grown adults act like they did."

Marvin Vettori's badassery last week's already paying off ... 'cause Dana White tells TMZ Sports the UFC star could be tapped as the backup fighter for Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker's title fight.

Izzy, the champion, and Whittaker, the #1 contender, are fighting at UFC 271 in February ... and we asked White if 28-year-old Vettori would be selected as the fighter to step in should 1 of the men be unable to fight.

"It absolutely makes sense," Dana says.

FYI, Adesanya and Vettori fought in June at UFC 263. Israel won by unanimous decision.

Last week, Marvin, still fought -- and beat -- Paulo Costa ... despite the fact the fight took place at 205 lbs. after the Brazilian MMA star showed up fight week and declared he couldn't make weight.

It's likely that most fighters wouldn't have accepted the fight under those conditions ... but Marvin ain't most fighters.

"Listen, he's brilliant to take that fight. First of all, he's a stud. The guy isn't afraid of anybody or any circumstances. He showed up to fight no matter what the weight was gonna be. Didn't let any of that stuff get in his head," White says.

"Stayed cool, calm and composed the entire week. And, what it did for him, it probably made him the #2 ranked guy in the world."

And, Dana was exactly right ... the UFC Athlete Rankings came out Tuesday, and Marvin made a big jump, going up 3 spots all the way to #2.

Costa also fell 3 spots to #6, though, he's still listed as a Middleweight (185 lbs.) ... a division the UFC honcho says Paulo will NOT fight in again.

"[Costa] can't [fight at 185 lbs.]. He's already proven that he can't make the weight. Why would we go through this again? Why would we put him through that again? He's a 205-pound fighter now. We just gotta figure out what the next move is, and who he fights first in that division."

Dana also previewed the UFC's 2 upcoming cards -- UFC 267 and UFC 268 -- both of which are stacked.

267, going down on Fight Island this weekend, features Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira, Petr Yan vs. Cory Sandhagen, Islam Makhachev vs. Dan Hooker and the return of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang.

"Platinum" Mike Perry is taking his talents to the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship -- the MMA fighter has inked a new deal after 5 years with the UFC ... and he's promising to wipe the floor with his competition.

30-year-old Perry -- who has wins over guys like Paul Felder, Mickey Gall and Alex Oliveira  -- did not have his contract with Dana White's org. renewed ... which made him free to follow Paige VanZant's lead to the BKFC.

Perry addressed the move on Tuesday, saying, "Let’s skip all the formalities! This sport is evolving and I am here to strike fear into the hearts of my competitors!"

"I plan to intimidate the world when I show what a truly skilled combat specialist is capable of with his bare hands."

The 14-8 fighter added ... "I will dismantle the opposition and reach the glory I have longed for my entire life. I will be crowned King of the streets and King of combat sports! They will make me a Platinum Crown and carry me on the bloody backs of my defeated rivals!"

"I am here to go straight to the top and make anyone think twice about entering my world! BKFC is my world!

Perry -- who last fought in April -- made headlines after a violent altercation in a Texas restaurant back in 2020 ... and sought treatment for alcohol abuse shortly after.

Before that, Perry was accused of getting physical with his ex-wife during a February incident ... but he adamantly denied ever touching her.

A coalition of concerned fathers stepped up at their local high school after a series of disturbing fights broke out over the course of a week -- hitting the hallways to keep kids safe.

The watch group goes by "Dads on Duty" -- a team of about 40 papa bears in the Shreveport, LA area ... whose kids go to Southwood High School, which was plagued with melees among students that resulted in nearly 2 dozen arrests last month in just 3 days.

After so many brawls in such a short time span -- some of which were captured on video and shared on social media -- these fathers figured it was time to get involved directly ... and serve as hall monitors and patrolmen, of sorts, to help prevent more violence.

So far ... the effort is working. Per CBS, there have been zero incidents since September -- and students are confessing that having their dads there helps deter bad behavior.

One student says the "look" a dad may shoot at their kid works wonders on others as well -- and the mere presence of familiar father figures in the community appears to be making a major impact at Southwood in providing a sense of safety. Even on a tension level ... these guys have helped, joking with students and making sure everyone gets to class on time.

"Dads on Duty" break up their time on campus into shifts that work for everyone involved -- and their rationale for getting this together was ... nobody knows how to handle our own children quite like us ... so why not dive in and get hands-on on the ground floor.

They also believe having strong males around the students does a lot of good for some kids who may not have fathers in their own lives.

Paulo Costa was 26 lbs. overweight just 3 days before his fight with Marvin Vettori, but despite the extra pounds, the UFC star tells TMZ Sports he's staying at middleweight.

"I will come back to 185. The very next one. I want to fight for the title and get the title," Paulo says.

FYI, Costa (#2 ranked middleweight) and Vettori (#5 ranked middleweight) were supposed to fight at 185 lbs., but PC told reporters he weighed 211 lbs. on Wednesday ... less than 48 hours before he was supposed to weigh in.

As for why he missed weight, Costa explained it like this, saying, "I came a little bit heavier than usual, and they suggest to make catchweight."

He never identifies "they."

It only takes one glance at Costa to see he's huge for the division. He's got muscles on top of muscles, so, cutting a lot of weight is nothing new for Paulo. But, to shed that weight in mere hours is all but impossible.

Despite the embarrassing situation, the fighters have verbally agreed to fight at a catchweight of 195 lbs. -- 10 lbs. over the originally contracted weight limit.

Costa intending to stay in the division is significant. With a win over Vettori, an argument for a rematch with Israel Adesanya (Izzy handily beat Costa in September 2020), although unlikely, could be a possibility.

If he moved up, Paulo would have to claw to the top of another division.

But, it might not be up to Costa ... 'cause the UFC could force him to move up after nearly losing the main event for the Fight Night card.

We also talked to Marvin (before the weight drama) ... and the 28-year-old fighter, who compared Costa to a fake Conor McGregor, had a message, albeit short and sweet, for his opponent.

NHL winger Marcus Foligno looked less like a hockey player and more like a UFC fighter Tuesday -- 'cause he threw a WILD Superman punch to kick off an epic on-ice brawl.

Foligno and Jets defenseman, Brenden Dillon, dropped the gloves in the first period of Minnesota's game against Winnipeg ... and it didn't take long for Foligno to try the famous MMA move.

Just seconds into the tilt, the Wild forward leapt into the air and threw the punch ... but fortunately for Dillon, it just barely missed.

The two -- known as some of the best fighters in the NHL -- then traded blows for a few seconds ... with Foligno at one point connecting with a HEAVY uppercut.

The guys were ultimately separated by the refs after about 30 seconds ... and based on the reaction of the two, Foligno clearly felt he won the scrap.

Both guys were hit with penalties for fighting ... though they each returned.

Foligno ended up getting the last laugh on Dillon -- the Wild won in crazy fashion in overtime, 6-5.

Corey Anderson ain't mincing words ... telling TMZ Sports the winner of his fight with Vadim Nemkov will without question be the best light heavyweight fighter in the world.

The debate's raged on since 32-year-old Anderson beat the former champ, Ryan Bader, in just 51 seconds over the weekend ... sending "Overtime" into the Bellator light heavyweight tourney finale against 29-year-old Nemkov.

Fighters like Jan Blachowicz have weighed in ... claiming the world's best 205-pound fighters reside in the UFC -- not Bellator.

But, when we talked to Anderson ... we asked him if the fight was for the best LHW, and he said yes, and called BS on the narrative that the UFC has better 205-lb fighters.

"A hundred percent, hundred percent. Especially If I win it, and I already beat two guys fighting for the belt in another promotion. Let's say Glover goes out there and beats Jan, which I think he will, the last time Glover lost was to who? Corey Anderson."

FYI, Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira are fighting for the UFC title at UFC 267 next weekend ... 2 guys Corey has previously beaten.

Anderson fought Jan twice ... winning 1 (2015), losing 1 (2020). Corey beat Glover in 2018 by unanimous decision.

We also asked Corey how important it'd be for him to become champ after being so close in the UFC .. but falling just short of winning the belt.

"That's the most important thing. The financial thing is great, but it's just the cherry on top. We can live the life, my family can live the life. Wife get a new car, I get a new car. Whatever you wanna do. That's all great and dandy."

Anderson continued ... "In the end, I’m in this sport to be the best. I got here to be the best. To finish with that belt around my waist, that means I did it. I reached the pinnacle, I reached exactly what I wanted to do, be the best, and then I did it and made a lot of money while doing it."

"The money is great but gold is the goal."

A Minnesota Vikings fan was sent crashing to the ground after being socked in the face during a wild melee at the Panthers game Sunday ... and all of the violence was captured on video.

The scene went down at some point during the Vikes' win over Carolina at Bank Of America Stadium ... when a man clad in purple got into a verbal altercation with several Panthers fans.

In footage of the fracas, you can see the Minnesota fan immediately started scrapping with a man in a Jaycee Horn jersey ... before yelling at others in the area.

Several people stepped in to intervene ... and pushing, shoving and screaming ensued.

Eventually, the altercation turned seriously violent ... with the man in the purple shirt being thrown to the ground and then being hit by a thunderous punch.

The guy laid on the floor for several moments ... but got up and appeared to try to continue the fight.

Meanwhile, another woman was knocked to the ground amid all of the chaos.

It's unclear what started the brawl, if there were injuries or if any arrests were made. We've reached out to cops, but so far, no word back yet.

Of course, fighting at NFL stadiums has unfortunately been commonplace this year ... with violent scuffles -- including one at the Bears vs. Rams game earlier this season -- breaking out seemingly weekly.

"Tank's gonna knocked the f*** out. And, whoever believes otherwise can go f*** themselves."

That's 26-year-old, undefeated rising boxing star Rolando Romero -- aka Rolly -- declaring that he will not only beat Gervonta Davis when they fight December 5 in Los Angeles, but Tank will get flatlined within 3 minutes!!!

It's an incredibly bold prediction ... especially considering most experts have picked Davis to beat the very talented Romero.

But, Rolly -- who we spoke with leaving Wilder-Fury 3 -- is adamant he isn't just running his mouth ... he believes he's got a size and power advantage.

"The best thing about Tank is that he's a puncher, and I'm a bigger puncher and bigger person. What the f*** does he have?" Rolly tells us.

"I punch way harder than him. Ask anyone that knows us both. They'll tell you straight up."

Of course, Tank is known as one of the hardest punchers, pound-for-pound, in the entire sport. All but 1 of his 25 wins are by knockout ... and the uppercut he dropped Leo Santa Cruz with is one of the most devastating punches of all time.

But, Rolly's power definitely isn't anything to scoff at ... all but 2 of his 14 wins are also by KO.

So, Romero's prediction?!?

"I'm gonna knock him the f*** out."

When?!?

Conor McGregor allegedly got in another fight outside the Octagon ... this time a DJ claims the champ punched him in the face and broke his nose.

Francesco Facchinetti, a famous DJ from Italy, says he and his wife were hanging out with Conor and his fiancee in Rome and, at around 2:30 AM Sunday, Conor threw a punch landing on his face. Facchinetti says the attack was unprovoked.

Facchinetti, who posted a video that clearly shows injuries, says they were all "having fun" earlier in the evening ... so much so, Conor invited them to tag along to another party. It appears they didn't leave because Facchinetti says that's when Conor threw the punch in front of 10 witnesses.

Facchinetti was quick to say he's suing Conor ... “I took a punch for nothing. That punch could go to anyone. My friends, my wife, or other friends. That’s why I decided to sue Conor McGregor because he is a violent and dangerous person.”

Facchinetti's wife posted what she claims went down ...“Then out of nowhere, he threw a punch in the face of Francesco. He was inviting us to another party. Francesco said, ‘Okay, let’s go’ and he hit him. Luckily, he [Francesco] was very close so he [Conor] couldn’t load up on his punch. Francesco flew back, fell on the table, and then on the ground. The first thing that came to mind was ‘are we kidding? Is it a show?’ Then I was paralyzed.

She went on ... "I turned around and saw that his friends were holding him against the wall because he wanted to continue beating Francesco. Then they took him away. I turned on the light and the guards turned them off. Francesco was bleeding. I wanted to help him and the guards chased us away. He will stay in Italy until October 26th. If you see him stay away from him. Don’t go near him and ask for autographs because he is an unstable and dangerous person.”

How good is #5 ranked UFC Lightweight, Islam Makhachev? His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, believes he could be one of the most dominant fighters of all time.

"I think [Islam's] gonna be one of the greatest fights ever. I think he's a better version than Khabib. I truly believe he is. He's not now, but he can be. He's a future world champion, for sure," Ali tells TMZ Sports.

Obviously, Nurmagomedov (literally) NEVER lost ... finishing his legendary career with a 29-0 record. He beat Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Conor McGregor.

If you're not familiar with 30-year-old Makhachev ... he's a beast. Islam's 20-1 ... with his sole defeat coming in his 2nd UFC fight way back in 2015.

Ever since ... he's dominated.

Next on the agenda is #6 ranked Dan Hooker at UFC 267 on October 30 ... a fight Abdelaziz says Hangman can only win with a fluke punch.

"Dan Hooker, great fighter, great guy, he's showing up for a paycheck. The only way he can win is a lucky punch."

Ali says he's personally witnessed Makhachev beat much bigger UFC stars in the gym.

"Let me tell you something, Islam Makhachev, I see him in the gym beating D.C. (Cormier), beating Luke Rockhold, beating some of my guys who's top 5 middleweight. Beating guys in the top 5 at welterweight."