Fights

Conor McGregor is opening up on the scrapped UFC 303 press conference that was scheduled for Monday ... and while he didn't explain exactly why it was canceled, he did say it was the result of a number of problems.

Notorious and Michael Chandler were slated to talk some trash in Dublin to promote the June 29 event ... but just hours before it was all supposed to go down, the organization confirmed it was a no-go until further notice -- without providing any more information.

Now, Conor is shedding a bit of light on the situation ... saying, "In consultation with the UFC, today's press conference was canceled due to a series of obstacles outside of our control."

The main event at Saturday's UFC 302 was not fought in the Octagon ... it went down in the stands as two fans got into a vicious brawl, with one guy beating the snot out of the other!

Check out this video ... it opens with the two men arguing in the nosebleed section at Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center. What sparked the confrontation is anyone's guess, but the man with his hair in a bun ("Bun Man") keeps calling the other guy a "white boy" and begging him -- "Slap me!" For the record ... both guys are white.

Anyway, "Bun Man" starts screaming, "C'mon!," while smacking himself in the face.

Frank Martin's hoping more people keep doubting him ahead of his fight against Gervonta "Tank" Davis ... telling TMZ Sports he uses the criticism as "fuel" -- and can't wait to shock the world!!

The WBA Lightweight World Title fight is slated for June 15 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas ... and Martin (18-0 w/ 12 KOs) says he feels confident to get in the ring with one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.

"I got a lot of things that him, the world, a lot of people may not expect that I got," Martin told us this week.

Cher's got her man's back after his rapper rumble at Cannes ... applauding him for his role in a loving social media post -- and, claiming he didn't kick off the brawl.

The singer-songwriter posted to X Saturday, breaking her silence on the now-infamous fight at the film festival... letting people know she's actually proud of Alexander "AE" Edwards.

Cher says, "He Didn’t Start The fight Against 2 Men,… He finished it, Gotta Love  Him" ... so, sounds like she's not too upset with her young beau for coming to blows at the classy event.

Donald Trump was in the building at UFC 302 Saturday night -- just 2 days later and 10 miles away from the NYC courtroom where he was convicted this week -- and the former president received a rousing standing ovation from the packed crowd!

Trump walked into the Prudential Center shortly after the main card kicked off, flanked by UFC honcho and close friend, Dana White, and a gang of Secret Service agents.

45 was shown on the big screen inside the Newark, NJ arena, and many of the near-17k MMA fans lost it!

Khabib Nurmagomedov wasn't in Islam Makhachev's corner for his last fight, but he will be Octagonside for Saturday's title scrap vs. Dustin Poirier ... and he's doing it for free!

TMZ Sports talked to Khabib and Islam's longtime manager, Ali Abdelaziz, this week ... and while all MMA fans are well aware of Nurmagomedov's exploits inside the cage, we asked about his talents as a coach -- and how it's impacted Makhachev's preparation heading into UFC 302.

"[Islam] had one of the greatest coaches you can ever have in your corner, Khabib. He's been coaching in the whole camp," Ali said, adding, "He had some of the best training partners you can ask for mimicking Dustin. We're fighting a dangerous opponent. You know, Dustin Poirier is a dangerous opponent, but I feel right now Islam is a hard guy to beat, you know?"

"And, he's going there for the kill. Everybody talks about Dustin Poirier, he's killed or to be killed. Tomorrow, Islam is going to be turned into a killing machine."

Typically, coaches receive a percentage of a fighter's pay ... but not Khabib, not this time.

"Khabib came to camp. He's not making money. He's not getting a percentage. He's spending his own money for his own flight just to help his brother."

Of course, Khabib, 29-0 (BTW, one of those wins came against Poirier), retired after beating Justin Gaethje in 2020 ... shortly after the tragic death of his father, Abdulmanap.

Since, Nurmagomedov has dedicated himself to coaching ... although he has stepped aside at times (he wasn't in Islam's corner for the Volkanovski fight at UFC 294).

Check out the clip. There's much more with Ali on Islam, Khabib, and some of his other star fighters.

9:41 AM PT -- The Maryland Transportation Authority tells TMZ ... officers responded to the incident late Tuesday afternoon upon receiving reports of the fight. Officers identified five involved individuals, one of whom suffered minor injuries.

Meanwhile, a rep for Spirit tells us four employees of a third-party service they use have been suspended by that company pending an investigation into the brawl. Spirit says they do not directly employ the individuals.

The airline adds violence of any kind is not tolerated, and they plan to take appropriate action following the completed investigation.

Fans looking forward to the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight will have to wait a bit longer -- the July 20 bout has just been postponed following the boxing legend's recent airplane medical scare.

Jake's Most Valuable Promotions just made the announcement ... saying after meeting with medical professionals over his ulcer flare-up on Thursday, Mike was told it was best to do "minimal to light training over the next few weeks."

Jake and Mike both agreed it was best to push the event back ... as they both want equal training time leading up to the fight.

A Ukrainian model says she's gonna sue the Cannes Film Festival -- threatening to file a lawsuit over her now-viral physical encounter with a security guard ... yep, that same one.

Sawa Pontyjska told BBC News she's all ready to go with a legal complaint against the organizers of the film festival ... claiming she was assaulted by a female security guard while attending the "Marcello Mio" premiere -- something that was caught on camera.

Footage of the face-off went viral during the event, especially after the same security guard got into an argument with Kelly Rowland earlier in the day.

Kim Zolciak is accusing her estranged hubby Kroy Biermann of snatching her crap -- again getting cops involved, which was again caught on body cam ... and TMZ's got the video.

In a police report we obtained ... Milton PD says an officer was dispatched to Kim and Kroy's family home -- the same one that's facing foreclosure -- for a domestic disturbance call.

Per the report, Kim called the cops claiming Kroy took her cellphone and locked himself in the master bedroom -- where he currently resides. Since a recent court order instructs the warring spouses to stick to their halves of the house ... Kim told officers she was unable to retrieve her phone from Kroy, and that he wouldn't give it back. This is all on video, BTW.

Alexander "AE" Edwards is reassuring everyone things are all good with Travis Scott after their wild fight at a Cannes Film Festival after-party last week.

We got Cher's BF Wednesday at LAX ... and while he didn't dish on what exactly sparked the fight involving his bestie Tyga and Travis, he's brushing it off as nothing serious, and he's obviously ready and willing to put the whole thing behind him.

AE was cautious about delving into the deets ... expressing a reluctance to stir up more drama, and making it clear he's not looking to start any more fights.

Jason and Kylie Kelce's run-in with a rude fan didn't ruin their entire trip to the Jersey Shore ... 'cause the Philadelphia Eagles legend had nothing but great things to say about their weekend getaway.

The recently retired NFL center discussed his time in Sea Isle City on the latest episode of the "New Heights" podcast with his brother, Travis ... but anyone looking to get Jason's take on the drama they encountered during a date night was left unfulfilled.

As we previously reported, Kylie unloaded on a woman who got upset over a denied photo opportunity ... and many witnesses claimed the Kelces were nothing but polite leading up to the altercation -- but the lady wasn't having it.

Jason and Kylie Kelce were seemingly trying to have a low-key date night when it was interrupted by a fan in need of a lesson in manners ... 'cause the Philadelphia Eagles legend's wife was forced to confront a woman in a heated exchange.

A brief clip of the interaction was captured and posted on social media ... with Philly-based podcast "Word to the Wise" claiming the married couple was minding their business when they were stopped by someone wanting a picture outside Steve & Cookies in New Jersey.

The outlet cited multiple witnesses who are adamant the Kelces politely declined the photo-op ... but the woman didn't take it lightly as she approached them and started yelling.

Mike Tyson is back to feeling like iron once more ... the boxing legend says he's "100%" healthy again after suffering a medical scare on a flight over the weekend.

The 57-year-old required medical attention while aboard an American Airlines flight from Miami to Los Angeles on Saturday ... but in a post on his X page on Tuesday morning, he revealed he's doing just fine now.

Mike told his followers he's at full strength ... before he made it clear his plans to fight Jake Paul in July remain unchanged.

10:10 AM PT -- Jake Paul is shutting down any online chatter about their fight being called off in the wake of Mike Tyson's health scare.

Jake says people "love to make s**t up," but reassured fans the July 20 bout is still a go. As he put it, "nothing changed."

Mike Tyson is recovering from an ulcer flare-up he suffered while flying cross-country -- and it was so bad, airline staff had to put out the call for any medical professionals on the plane to come forward.

Dustin Poirier has accomplished just about everything during his legendary career as an MMA fighter. Just about. But, there's one thing left to do -- win the UFC championship!

35-year-old Poirier joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) -- about a week before his UFC 302 main event title fight against champion and current pound-for-pound king, Islam Makhachev. We asked Dustin how important it was for him to be crowned champ.

"It's greatly important," Dustin said.