Fights

If the UFC is having a Fourth of July fight night at the White House, Michael Chandler wants in on it BADLY -- telling TMZ Sports he's throwing his hat in the ring ... and he's down to finally settle the score with Conor McGregor!!

We caught up with Iron Mike this week ... and with all the chatter surrounding Dana White and President Donald Trump hoping to put on an Independence Day extravaganza at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue next year, we had to ask if he's interested.

Short answer?? Hell. Yes.

A tense standoff on an Ohio bridge turned violent as video captured a police officer repeatedly punching an anti-ICE protester during a protest that brought traffic to a halt.

The demonstration, which was on the Roebling Bridge between Cincinnati and Covington, called for the release of a detained former hospital chaplain. The protest drew some 100 people. Authorities say at least 15 people were arrested on felony rioting and various misdemeanor charges.

The viral video shows a protester wearing a red Cincinnati Reds cap being tackled and struck in the head multiple times while pinned to the ground. Police say the guy tried to grab a pepper ball gun from an officer, but he denies that claim, telling WCPO he was simply reacting to having a weapon pointed at him.

Jon Jones is confident he'll be fighting at Donald Trump's White House UFC event whenever it goes down ... telling TMZ Sports on Thursday he's got "a very strong feeling" he'll be on the historic card.

Of course, the shindig doesn't have an official date or a time yet -- but Dana White said this week he's going to meet with Trump soon to hammer out the logistics ... and whenever it all gets set, Jones made it clear he wants in.

"That's the goal," the former heavyweight champ said out at LAX.

Boxers tend to be big draws on fight nights ... and they're even bigger draws when their fans see them in public!

We caught this world-champion pugilist back in 2007, when one of his supporters ran into him at a gas station, and he even got her to tell his girlfriend about what a knockout he is!

Bad news for those hoping Dustin Poirier has one more fight in him after this weekend ... he tells TMZ Sports he's REALLY hanging up the gloves for good Saturday night.

We chopped it up with the 36-year-old ahead of his retirement match against Max Holloway in his home state of Louisiana. Before we got to that, we had to ask him if next year's potential July 4th card at the White House had him rethinking things.

But Diamond made it clear ... even the thought of throwing hands at one of the most iconic landmarks in the country isn't changing his mind.

A Claressa Shields and Laila Ali superfight just got a whole lot more real ... 'cause just days after the retired boxing legend made it clear she wouldn't even consider fighting without at least $15 million on the table, the "GWOAT" has a message -- we got the dough!

"Laila, I'm here with my team. I got some great news for you. We got the $15 million!" Shields said in video sent to TMZ Sports.

The undefeated champ continued ... "Let's make a fight between me and you. The best versus the best. The greats versus the greats. The GWOAT versus Muhammad Ali's daughter, Laila Ali. Let's make it happen."

An anti-Israel protester was beaten down on the track at the Tour de France after a staff member came out of nowhere and flipped the dude over a barricade.

The wild moment went down close to the finish line earlier this week ... while Norway cyclist Jonas Abrahamsen just barely beat out Mauro Schmid of Switzerland for the victory.

The protester was wearing a shirt which read, "Israel out of the Tour" -- an Israeli team is competing in the race and catching a ton of flak for it.

1:30 PM PT -- Perry Farrell's legal team tells TMZ ... “This is yet another clear example of the group uniting to isolate and bully frontman Perry Farrell. The timing of this baseless lawsuit is no coincidence—it was filed only after they caught wind of legal action coming from our side. It’s a transparent attempt to control the narrative and present themselves as the so-called ‘good guys’—a move that’s both typical and predictable."

They continue, "Just like when they released a defamatory and entirely unfounded statement about Perry’s mental health and unilaterally canceled the remaining tour dates without his input, they’re once again scrambling to get ahead of the truth in a desperate effort to save face.”

Dave Navarro is suing Perry Farrell for assault and battery ... and his fellow Jane's Addiction members are also jumping on the lawsuit -- demanding millions from the lead singer.

Navarro, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins filed a lawsuit against Farrell Wednesday over a fight that went down onstage in September 2024 ... which they say derailed their North American tour and planned album afterward.

Remember ... we obtained video from a show on September 13, 2024, where Farrell and Navarro got into each other's faces and began shoving one another.

Joe Castaneda has already put hands on Adrian Peterson, but "Baby Joe" isn't taking the NFL legend lightly ahead of their Celebrity Boxing match ... he's started working out with a trainer, and TMZ Sports has the video!

We're told Castaneda -- a professional poker player by trade -- hired combat sports coach Teddy Concepcion at the Oasis gym in Las Vegas ... and Joe is already on the ground, going through a bunch of different drills, including hitting mitts.

It should come as no surprise that he's taking the fight seriously. Earlier this month, Castaneda told us this was the plan, saying he wanted to sharpen "up these hands to put on a show!"

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's son Knox's 17th birthday kicked butt -- literally -- because he spent his big day winning a martial arts competition.

With Angelina and his twin sister Vivienne cheering him on from the crowd, Knox won the IKF Point Muay Thai Technical event on his birthday weekend.

Video from the competition shows Knox beating the crap out of an opponent ... landing a bunch of punches and kicks as they battle on a red and blue mat.

More details surrounding Quinshon Judkins' arrest have been revealed -- the Cleveland Browns' second-round pick is accused of punching a woman in the mouth during an argument inside a car.

According to a police report of the alleged July 7 incident, the woman -- who acknowledged they were in a romantic relationship -- stated the two landed at Fort Lauderdale International Airport for a trip ... and when she left to use the restroom while waiting at baggage claim, she returned to an upset Judkins.

The woman told cops Judkins said things like "I'm so done with you" and "Oh wow, I can't believe you" ... but she had no idea what he was talking about.

3:16 PM PT -- Ted Anastasiou, a legal rep for Trey Songz, says his client is actually the victim, telling TMZ Hip Hop ... "The media is unfairly turning an unfinished story into clickbait to sell a new headline. That’s lazy and unfair.

"What happened at The Ivy was the result of increasingly aggressive paparazzi invading an artist’s personal space, conduct that puts everyone at risk and a trend that’s impacting not just Trey but artists everywhere. Trey disputes the characterization of events, is cooperating fully with authorities, and looks forward to the facts, not speculation, speaking for themselves."

Trey Songz is being accused of pummeling a cameraman who just got out of the hospital with serious injuries, and police are now investigating.

Isaa Mansoor tells TMZ Hip Hip he went to the Ivy in Huntington, NY, early Sunday morning to shoot video for the owner. Mansoor says he witnessed Trey arrive with an entourage.

Isaa says the owner told him to shoot the event as Trey performed and circulated. Isaa says Trey was aware the owner had asked photogs to get video.

A furious passenger erupted in a profanity-filled tirade at the Paris Airport after her flight to New York was abruptly canceled due to a French air traffic controller strike.

Captured on video, the woman -- traveling with her two children -- screamed, "F****** b***h, I need my medication!" at an airline employee before being restrained by airport police. She claimed her diabetes medication was in her checked bag.

The passenger said the airline offered little help to stranded passengers and blamed Norse Atlantic for poor communication. "She just wanted some accommodation for her and her kids," the woman said. "She was panicked, but the language wasn’t OK."

5:05 PM PT -- Columbus Short was granted the temporary restraining order against his wife Aida.

Columbus Short makes it sound like his wife is not a dog person ... because he claims she kicked and threw a 10-week-old puppy before getting violent with him.

The ex "Scandal" star beelined it to court this week and filed for a temporary restraining order against his wife, alleging a series of domestic violence incidents involving him and the puppy.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Columbus claims his wife Aida roughed up his 10-week-old pooch on Monday ... and when he confronted her, she got physically violent and hit him multiple times in the face, busting his eye open and drawing blood.

Chris Brown faced two new charges in a London assault case Friday morning ... pleading not guilty to two additional counts stemming from a violent altercation two years ago in which a man's head was smashed with a bottle in a nightclub.

The R&B singer arrived at London's Southwark Crown Court dressed in a brown suit Friday morning to plead not guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm, and not guilty to possessing an offensive weapon in a public place -- a tequila bottle.

This follows a court appearance last month when Brown pled not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm -- the most serious of the three counts -- in the same case ... Brown's accused of smashing the bottle over Abraham Diaw's head in February 2023 at TAPE nightclub.

The last time Katie Taylor shared the ring with Amanda Serrano, the fight was so awesome that it somehow overshadowed Mike Tyson and Jake Paul ... and now the star pugilists will once again come face-to-face to settle the score!!

TMZ Sports spoke with 39-year-old super lightweight champion leading up to the July 11 scrap at the World's Most Famous Arena, MSG, about the importance of the all-female event that'll also be streaming on Netflix ... and Katie hardly believes it's real.

"It's amazing. I think the fights are just getting bigger and bigger, to be honest," Taylor said.