Fights

Tyron Woodley says it was actually a blessing Tommy Fury got hurt and had to pull out of his December 18 fight with Jake Paul -- because nobody wanted to see that crap!!!

Hey, T-Wood said it ... not us.

TMZ Sports talked to the 39-year-old future UFC Hall of Famer just days before he's set to step in the ring with the Problem Child, and Woodley tells us the real winners here are the viewers.

"Nobody wants to see no f***ing Tommy Fury fight, come on now," Tyron tells us, saying, "Now his brother is lit. But, he can't ride the coattails of Tyson."

TW went on to say that Fury may go on to have a solid boxing career ... but as of right now,  he simply doesn't present the same threats as Woodley.

So, when we asked Tyron if he was a more difficult opponent ... he didn't hesitate.

"Of course I am, s***. That's why he took [the Fury] fight instead. He made a double wager and then didn't honor it because s***, why would he go back and give me the chance to finish off what I started now that I've been in there with him."

Of course, Tyron and Jake scrapped back in August ... a fight that the YouTuber turned boxing star won by split decision (Woodley wholeheartedly believes he won the fight).

Since, Woodley has all but demanded a rematch ... but Paul shot him down. That is until Tommy pulled out of the fight last week with a chest infection and broken ribs, per his reps.

So, Tyron's in ... and this time he says he will not leave things up to the judges.

"I just feel like, definitely, I can't leave any doubt."

Jussie Smollett is a guilty man, but the only thing Bola Osundairo is guilty of is having hot hands ... as he demonstrated in the boxing ring just as the actor's fate was sealed.

Bola's been fighting for well over a year now, and it just so happened he had a match Thursday night in Louisiana while a jury found Jussie guilty on 5 of 6 felony charges for falsely reporting a hate crime.

As you can see from our video, Osundairo was dominant, winning a unanimous decision against his opponent Ezri Turner. The fight was part of the 2021 USA Boxing National Championships ... Bola won his previous contest as well.

Minutes after the jury read its verdict, Bola's brother, Ola, shared a few words with reporters outside the courthouse ... but he didn't talk about the case, just shouted out his brother's fight and exclaimed "Nigerian-American lives matter!"

TMZ broke the story, Bola and Jussie were friends -- even hitting clubs together -- in the weeks leading up to the staged attack. Ola and Bola maintained from the beginning that Smollett had paid them for the hoax because he wanted press.

NHL star Zdeno Chara beat the hell out of his opponent so badly during an on-ice scrap on Thursday ... the dude needed seven stitches to stop the bleeding.

The fight all went down during the Islanders' game against the Predators ... when Chara began throwing haymakers at Yakov Trenin after the Nashville center had hit one of Chara's teammates.

You can see in footage of the play, 6-foot-9 Chara pulled Trenin's jersey over his head -- and then whaled on him with a violent flurry of punches.

All of the blows appeared to land flush -- and after refs separated the two ... Trenin's face looked like it had just been beaten by a golf club.

Trenin had to leave the ice to get his face sewn back together in the locker room ... but somehow, he ended up returning, and actually got the last laugh.

Trenin scored the game-tying goal in the third period, and Nashville ultimately won the contest in overtime.

Afterward, Trenin's coach praised him, saying, "I was really impressed with him."

Memphis star Dillon Brooks went off on the officials who threw him out of the Grizzlies' game vs. the Mavericks on Wednesday -- calling the refs' actions straight-up "bulls***."

The 25-year-old wing didn't hold back in his postgame press conference -- which took place just minutes after he was ejected from the Grizzlies' contest -- accusing the refs of not protecting the players on the floor throughout the night.

"I felt like this crew came out there and just made it about them and that's bull," Brooks said of the refs, who called a total of 44 total fouls during the game.

"This crew did not protect the players," he continued. "They just wanted to get the game over with and that's bulls***. That's bulls*** from the very beginning. That's bull."

Brooks was tossed from the Grizzlies' loss late in the 4th quarter after he screamed at refs over their whistles.

In video of the ejection, you can see Brooks was so furious, he needed to be held back by Memphis assistants as he charged toward the referees.

No punishment for Brooks has been announced yet ... but you can bet a fine is coming for the Grizzlies player as early as later today.

Tyron Woodley says he's gonna beat Jake Paul on December 18 ... and then he's gonna do it again, 'cause the former UFC star tells TMZ Sports there's a rematch clause in his contract.

We talked to 39-year-old T-Wood fresh off signing on to once again box the YouTube star in Tampa on less than 2 weeks' notice ... and while we were talking, Tyron revealed a third fight is in the works if he wins next weekend.

"Yes, there is a rematch clause in there," Woodley says, adding, "After I knocked you out Mr. Betting Man, are you gonna run, or are you gonna wanna try to fight someone else, or are you gonna come get this work."

Of course, Jake -- who was originally scheduled to fight Tommy Fury -- won the first fight by split decision when they faced off on August 29 (a fight Woodley believes he actually won). So, a Woodley dub would even them up at one win apiece.

As for what he's going to do this time around, Woodley tells us to expect violence.

"I bet I beat his ass. I bet if he get up, I bet I do it again. I bet if he get up, I bet I knock his ass down again."

First things first ... Woodley has to win. Then, do it all again.

The mom of ex-NBA player Corey Benjamin's daughter has been charged criminally in California after allegedly directing her daughter to sucker punch an opponent during a H.S. hoops game.

44-year-old Latira Shonty Hunt was hit with 2 misdemeanor charges ... battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. If she's ultimately convicted, she faces a year in jail.

While announcing the charges, Orange County DA placed the blame right on the mother's shoulders, saying “In my opinion, it would have not happened, but for mom’s words."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the girl absolutely decked her 15-year-old opponent, sending her crashing to the hardwood floor.

At the time, police in Garden Grove, CA told us they were investigating the incident. After reviewing the video and talking to witnesses, officials decided to charge Hunt.

While her daughter isn't facing any charges, she has been punished. The league permanently banned her from competing.

As for her former professional hooper dad, Benjamin apologized for his daughter's actions, saying, "As a father, I’m shocked and disappointed at my daughter’s behavior as this is not a reflection of the values and standards that my family holds. Nor does it exemplify the values, character and spirit of sportsmanship that the game of basketball requires.”

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson wants all the smoke -- the mixed martial artist tells TMZ Sports he's dead serious about fighting Shannon Briggs ... and when he does, "he's gonna f*** him up."

"That guy's a f***ing a**hole," Jackson told us this week. "I want to box and I think that his old ass would be a perfect match to be my first boxing match."

"I'ma f*** him up. I'm sick of that guy. All he does is troll me. Imma f*** him up."

Rampage didn't stop there ... "He think I'm playing with him. He think it's all fun and games. That man 50 years old. He too old to be acting like that," he continued.

Jackson says his desire to clash with the former heavyweight champ came after Briggs called him out following his last loss.

"I told him I wanted to have a boxing match and Shannon agreed to get in there with me," Jackson said. "We putting MMA fans vs. boxing fans."

The feud between Jackson and Briggs ain't new -- last month, they got into a shoving match at a Triad Combat weigh-in (the two were captains of opposite teams) ... an event that pitted MMA fighters against professional boxers.

Jackson tells us that any clash he has with Briggs will be bigger than just pride and ego ... saying that he's gonna show the world that MMA fighters are the best.

"I'm coming to get that respect," Rampage said. "You boxers, y'all don't respect us. Better put some respect on my name."

We might not have to wait much longer to see the former champs lock horns ... 'cause Rampage also told us that we could see the highly anticipated bout sometime in the new year.

Chelsea soccer player Samantha Kerr ain't fond of fans on the field --- 'cause she straight-up leveled an intruder who interrupted a match this week ... and the video is wild.

It all went down Wednesday night during the 87th minute of the Champions League match between Chelsea vs. Juventus ... when a man in a black jacket and grey sweats walked onto the pitch and tried to get selfies with the players.

His attempt had consequences, 'cause when he walked towards the Chelsea forward, she hit him with a ferocious body check that sent him flying to the turf.

The crowd was very impressed with the 28-year-old's maneuver, yelling "ooooohhh" while the fan was laid out on the ground.

He eventually got up and ran away ... when security finally came through and took him away.

The crazy part?? Kerr was actually penalized for the defensive stop on the intruder ... receiving a yellow card from the refs.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes spoke about Kerr's actions ... saying, "it should serve as a reminder to us all in our stadiums and with our stewards we've got to put out player protection first."

Amanda Nunes says Julianna Peña is straight-up "delusional" for thinking she's gonna take a belt off the champ-champ ... but the Lioness tells TMZ Sports that doesn't mean she's sleeping on the Venezuelan Vixen's skills in the Octagon.

We talked to the 33-year-old UFC star just days before her big UFC 269 fight with Peña ... and Nunes is ready to goooo.

"[Julianna] is delusional, but it doesn't mean I'm not taking her seriously. I do. I trained very hard and very smart, I'm very sharp for her. A lot of things she says are not true, she's being delusional."

We also asked Nunes, a heavy favorite in the fight, how she envisioned beating Peña.

"Honestly I don't see this fight going to the judges at all. Honestly. I'm very sharp. I know she's gonna make a lot of mistakes like she always does."

Amanda added ... "I know I'm gonna catch her many times."

As you might suspect, 32-year-old Peña -- the #3 ranked bantamweight -- believes Amanda isn't taking her seriously ... telling us that's a mistake because she's coming to win.

"I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on me and they think I'm a sacrificial lamb but I definitely think that, you know, I know that I'm definitely not a sacrificial lamb and everyone loves an underdog," Peña told us.

There's more ... we also talked to Amanda and her wife, fellow UFC star Nina Nunes about their adorable baby daughter, Reagan.

American Airlines is on the hot seat for booting a couple off a flight after they got into an argument with 2 flight attendants that turned physical -- all while the mother was cradling their 7-week-old baby.

As you can see in the video -- shot Sunday on a flight from Charlotte to Philadelphia -- the mother was trying to explain her side of things to a flight attendant who came over after the initial argument ... which was all over a different AA staffer asking her to stand up to let another passenger get to his seat.

The father was recording video of the convo until a third flight attendant approached from behind and smacked the phone out of his hand. That's when things got way more heated, and the couple was eventually removed from the plane.

While in the Charlotte airport terminal, the mother involved in the incident says she did nothing wrong and was met with aggression and unfair treatment from the start.

Sources familiar with the situation say that the family was removed from the flight, and AA booked them on a later flight to Philly. A spokesperson for American Airlines tells TMZ... "We are investigating the incident and working to understand what took place."

"Tyson, I just wanna let you know you're a f***ing bitch and so is your brother. This is an embarrassment and hopefully, you guys can get that vaginitis cleared up super quick, you f****ing dosser."

That's the voice memo Jake Paul sent directly to Tyson Fury live on the "TMZ Sports" TV Show (nightly on FS1) hours after it was officially announced the Gypsy King's little bro Tommy was out of the Dec. 18 fight with an injury.

We broke the story ... Tommy's people say the 7-0 boxer has a chest infection AND broken rib, but Jake ain't buyin' it.

"I think the pressure got to this kid. He's only been put in there against people who are meant to lose, who have losing records. It's scary fighting me on the biggest stage possible," Jake told Michael Babcock on the show.

"He's a young kid, he hasn't been through a lot. He's had a silver spoon in his mouth his whole life, so I think the pressure got to him and cracked him and he has vaginitis is what they're saying."

Tommy has sworn up and down that he only backed out when it was the absolute last option ... and made it clear he badly wants to reschedule the fight in the future.

But, the Problem Child tells us Tommy might've missed his opportunity.

"I don't know if I want to give him it anymore. I might just leave him in the dust. This was the biggest opportunity of his life, so it might be a little cynical, but I think it'd be kinda fun to just not give him the chance again, and he's gonna have to fight 20, 30 more times if he wants to get the same payday. So, good luck!"

It goes without saying -- Paul is fuming over Tommy dropping out of the fight, and he got so pissed while talking with Babcock during the interview, he went straight to Instagram and told Tyson exactly how he felt.

How do you celebrate a big-time win in the Octagon?! If you're UFC star Jose Aldo ... you hit up the LV Raiders game, and then pop bottles and dance to music played by Diplo!

35-year-old Aldo beat fellow UFC star Rob Font at Fight Night Saturday night ... in a 5-round unanimous decision.

Aldo was ranked 5th before the fight ... and since he toppled the 4th ranked fighter, he is very much in title contention.

So, a reason to celebrate ... and celebrate he did Sunday afternoon.

We're told Jose attended the Raiders-WFT game (unfortunately for the hometown fans, the Raiders lost 17-15) ... hitting up the Wynn Field Club at Allegiant Stadium with 7 friends, where they watched football.

FYI, Aldo's Brazilian ... so it's unclear if he's an American football fan, or if he just went for the atmosphere and booze.

After the game, we're told Jose stayed for the game-day afterparty hosted by Diplo ... where he enjoyed bottle service with his friends, dancing up a storm.

Tyron Woodley's getting his rematch after all -- Jake Paul just announced Tommy Fury has backed out of their December 18 fight ... with the ex-UFC champ taking his place.

24-year-old Paul just posted a video confirming rumors of Fury pulling out on Monday ... saying he will go head-to-head against Woodley once again in less than 2 weeks' notice.

"When my team woke me up on Friday to tell me Tommy Fumbles was pulling out, I told them I’ll fight anyone on December 18th," Jake said. "Troy, Trey, Trevor, Travis,… I don’t give a f*** who it is."

Naturally, Jake also had some words for Tommy.

"Tommy’s pulling out because of a 'medical condition' called vaginitis," he added. "Unlike the Furys, Tyron actually has some balls, is stepping in, and contractually he is getting an extra $500,000 if he knocks me out."

Of course, Paul and Woodley duked it out in Cleveland on August 29, with the YouTuber getting the split decision win over Tyron.

As we previously reported, Tommy agreed to fight Jake back in October ... after months of trash talk and failed contract negotiations.

Speaking of failed negotiations, Woodley initially lost his shot at the rematch after Paul claimed he took too long to get "I love Jake Paul" tatted on him.

Woodley eventually got the ink a month after the fight ... getting the phrase on his middle finger.

This time around, Jake is guaranteeing a different outcome.

"First time I outboxed him. This time I’m gonna punish him and leave no doubt."

It's a quick turnaround for Woodley ... but the dude's a pro, so we're sure he'll be fine.

Gervonta Davis paid huge respect to Kobe Bryant during his fight at Staples Center on Sunday ... rockin' some Mamba-themed shorts and shoes for the big tilt with Isaac Cruz.

Davis entered the "House That Kobe Built" decked out in Lakers colors ... and stitched Kobe's famous #24 and #8 on his shorts.

Davis also sported some Kobe-inspired shoes for the match ... with his kicks resembling the Black Mamba's famous "Grinches."

And, after Gervonta beat Cruz by unanimous decision, he shouted out the NBA legend as well.

"L.A. we did it, baby!" Tank told the packed crowd, which included Magic Johnson, Kawhi Leonard and Dwight Howard. "Home of Kobe!"

It's fitting that Davis honored Bryant on the night ... considering he needed every bit of the Mamba Mentality to get through his bout with Cruz.

Fighting in the place of Rolando Romero, Cruz took it to Davis -- who had to battle through a hand injury to score the win.

Julianna Peña is less than a week away from the biggest fight of her life against Amanda Nunes ... and the "Venezuelan Vixen" has a message for the doubters, telling TMZ Sports she isn't satisfied just being here -- she's gunning to win.

"I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on me and they think I'm a sacrificial lamb but I definitely think that, you know, I know that I'm definitely not a sacrificial lamb and everyone loves an underdog," Peña told us.

32-year-old Peña is the #3 ranked bantamweight in the UFC -- and has been all but demanding a title shot with the 33-year-old champ, Nunes -- because she truly believes she will get the W when they fight at UFC 269.

"I'm ready. I am in the zone. I have never felt more physically or mentally prepared in my life and it's my time. It just feels so great to know that I have literally left no stone unturned. I'm ready to go. I'm in the zone!"

Peña's been with the UFC since 2013 ... and has a professional record of 10-4. She's beaten some badass women like Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano.

Despite the impressive resume, Julianna's a big underdog against Amanda. In fact, bettors have to wager about $900 just to win $100 on Nunes.

And, it's not just the oddsmakers who doubt Peña can win ... 'cause Julianna told us she feels Amanda isn't taking her seriously.

"[Nunes] called me delusional. She said that I'm reckless. I don't think that she's taking me seriously at all and you know, that's fine."

Great news! UFC president Dana White is officially COVID-19 free ... telling TMZ Sports he tested negative for the virus, and he's crediting Joe Rogan's suggested treatment plan of monoclonal antibodies, NAD drip, vitamins, and Ivermectin for the swift recovery.

"I feel incredible! Today is day 5 since testing positive for COVID, and [Friday at 9 AM], I tested negative for COVID. Thank you, Dr. Joe Rogan!"

Dana tested positive for the virus after a Thanksgiving day family gathering ... and immediately contacted the JRE host for advice.

Of course, Rogan beat the virus in a matter of days ... but it wasn't without controversy.

He (also) took Ivermectin ... a drug that some media outlets incorrectly classified as livestock medication (there are animal and human versions of the drug).

But, Dana -- who is fully vaccinated -- says Joe is very well-informed ... and most importantly, his plan works.

"Joe Rogan is a brilliant guy and he talks to the most brilliant people out there. He studies, he does his homework on all this stuff, and it's a fact that this works."

And, work it did -- the UFC honcho tells us ... "Monday I did what Rogan told me to do. Tuesday I had my taste and smell back."

White says if you think his case was a fluke ... the treatment also worked on his wife, daughter, and 80-year-old mother-in-law!

We didn't only talk about viruses ... we also chopped it up about UFC 269 -- which is only a week away (Dec. 11).

Lightweight champ Charles Oliveira is fighting Dustin Poirier ... the man many believe is actually the best in the division.

Amanda Nunes is also fighting Julianna Pena (the "Venezuelan Vixen" told us "Lioness" isn't taking her seriously). "Suga" Sean O'Malley, Cody Garbrandt, and Geoff Neal are also on the card.

We asked Dana which fight he was looking forward to -- outside of the marquee matchups at the top of the card -- and he told us he expects a lot of violence when Josh Emmett and Dan Ige do battle on the prelims.

We also talked to White about Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev ... and he told us he's working on booking the 4-0 fighter an opponent now that Diaz shot down the fight.

If you missed it, earlier this week the superstar from Stockton told us he wouldn't fight "Borz" because he was a rookie who wasn't on Diaz's level.