Fights

Boxing superstar Errol Spence has officially announced he's returning to the ring -- just one year after he almost died in a horrific late-night Ferrari crash.

Spence (26-0) confirmed he will face Danny Garcia (36-2) on Dec. 5 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas -- marking an incredible comeback from a terrible accident.

As we previously reported, Spence was hospitalized after he lost control of his Ferrari during a late-night drive in the Dallas area in Oct. 2019.

Cops say Spence's car went over the center median and flipped at least 5 times. Spence, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the car and suffered serious injuries.

The accident was captured on surveillance video -- and man, it's a miracle Spence wasn't killed.

Some thought there was a very real chance Spence would never fight again. But, he's proving the doubters wrong -- announcing on social media Thursday, "I'm back!"

Spence -- the unified welterweight champ -- is widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the sport with victories over guys like Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia and Kell Brook.

It's also a huge fight for Garcia -- who's trying to re-establish himself as one of the best in the world after high-profile losses to Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter.

MMA star Lance Palmer -- who famously won the PFL $1 Million tournament TWICE -- is upset the organization is not up and running yet and is now demanding they book him a fight or else he'll take legal action.

FYI, the Professional Fighters League has put all fights on hold due to the COVID pandemic -- and Palmer is really frustrated.

Palmer's issue ... the UFC and Bellator have returned to action and he thinks PFL should follow suit.

As of now, he's got nothing booked -- so he tapped his attorney, Harley Breite, so try and figure out a way to get him back in the cage.

Breite tells TMZ Sports they don't want to take legal action, but they will if they have to.

They'd much rather come to an amicable agreement -- whether it's booking a fight or releasing him from his contract so he can fight with another promotion.

If PFL refuses, Breite says a lawsuit is definitely a possibility.

"We're not going to sit back and wait for somebody to dictate the terms of when my client can do what he does for a living. He's a fighter! He must fight!"

Palmer hasn't seen action since Dec. 31, 2019 -- when he won the $1 million prize in a 5-round decision over Alex Gilpin in NYC.

We're told there are other fighters in the PFL who feel the same way -- they realize their window to make money as a pro MMA fighter is short and they need to get back to work already!

The UFC barely missed any time due to the pandemic -- and now, they're putting on fights every weekend in both Las Vegas and on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

TikTok star Bryce Hall and some members of The Sway Boys ganged up on one dude and delivered a beat down so bad, cops were called ... but somehow they all made up in the end.

The violence broke out when Bryce and fellow Sway members Jordan Rodriguez, Josh Richards, Nick Bean and Jaden Hossler all got dragged into a scuffle with an unknown man outside of Mel's Diner on Sunset.

Video of the Sept. 23 brawl shows Bryce -- who had his power turned off after throwing a massive party during quarantine -- in the red shorts trying to break up the fight as is Jordan. We're told Josh and Jaden are the ones throwing punches in the video claiming self-defense after Nick got punched in the face. The brawl was the group's response to Nick getting socked.

You can also hear someone hurling homophobic slurs at least 3 times -- we're told that was Nick, who according to witnesses, seemed pretty drunk and out of control.

We're also being told what triggered this was Nick allegedly putting a cone under the car of the unknown man ... who then confronted the Sway Boys and all hell broke loose.

For his part, Bryce says, "We don't condone violence, but if you punch someone in front of us, we'll have no choice but to defend ourselves."

Cops ultimately showed up to the scene and talked to the guy who got beat up, but we're told no one involved wanted to press charges or cooperate.

Four weeks before Election Day and the song "F**k Donald Trump" is a serious trigger for at least one Trump supporter, who sucker punched a man over it.

The violence went down outside a Buc-ee's in Denton, TX and the video shows a couple of maskless Trump supporters telling another man to beat it and stop playing YG's political anthem on repeat.

As you can see, one of the Trump supporters yells "turn it off" in the guy's face and suddenly throws an unprovoked punch, clocking the guy right in the face and sending him to the pavement.

In the video, you hear people threatening to call the cops ... and then the Trump supporters walk away. All while, YG's track keeps playing in the background.

The guy who got punched says he's fine, but he did go to a hospital. Unclear if cops ever showed up.

Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz -- one of the biggest boxing matches of the year -- has officially been moved to October 31st ... and we're told it's all because they want fans in attendance.

The fight was originally set for Oct. 24 -- but we're told Gervonta's promoter Floyd Mayweather "wanted to ensure he would be able to fight in front of fans."

So, the fight was moved to the Alamodome in San Antonio -- where state guidelines allow the venue to hold 50% capacity.

The site can hold 32,000 people for boxing matches -- so promoters are expecting 16,000 fans (hooray math!).

It appears the fight will be the first major combat sports event with live fans in attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic began back in March.

The fight is expected to be awesome -- Davis is undefeated (23-0) and he's become one of the most explosive and exciting fighters in the sport. He's the current WBA lightweight champ.

Santa Cruz is the reigning WBA super featherweight champ -- and he's been in some wars (remember the Carl Frampton fights?!).

You've seen the Octagon on the beach. You've seen the insane fights.

But, you've never seen exactly HOW the UFC transformed Yas Island in Abu Dhabi into "Fight Island" in the thick of a global pandemic ... until now!!

It's all part of "UFC Fight Island: Declassified" -- a 4-part series on ESPN+ (premieres today) featuring some incredible behind the scenes footage showing how Dana White and his team successfully built a secure city to keep MMA alive while every other major sport was shut down.

Remember, Dana first revealed "Fight Island" to TMZ Sports back in April (we actually suggested the name "Fight Island").

From there, Dana and the UFC spent a fortune on buildings, medical personnel and more to ensure a bubble-style environment to host major fights consistently while the rest of the world was shut down.

In total, the UFC claims it took 400,000 man-hours and 350 tons of metal to get Fight Island up and running.

"There's no other thing on Earth like this," Dana says in the docuseries ... "Their platforms come up once in a blue moon."

The doc also features UFC superstars like Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal going through all of the COVID testing leading up to their fight.

The UFC faced a ton of criticism leading up to the opening of Fight Island at UFC 251 in July ... but ultimately, they executed several major events without a hitch.

In fact, the UFC has already RETURNED to Fight Island for another series of fights including the highly anticipated UFC 254 card featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje on Oct. 24.

Dana White says Fight Island was such a hit, it will be a regular fight location for the UFC for years to come.

"I'm telling you right now, Abu Dhabi is gonna become the fight capital of the world," White told us recently.

Tough break for Cody Garbrandt -- who's officially out of his flyweight championship fight at UFC 255 after suffering a freak injury to his arm.

"No Love" was initially scheduled to take on flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event on Nov. 21.

It was supposed to be Cody's first fight in the flyweight division. He had previously held the title in the bantamweight division.

"I tore my bicep on Monday," Garbrandt said on his Facebook page.

"The UFC decided to replace me but told me I’ll face the winner."

Figueiredo will now face #4 ranked flyweight fighter Alex Perez instead. Perez is on a 3-fight win streak, including a victory over Jussier Formiga at UFC 250 back in June.

Garbrandt added, "Time to heal and stay ready. Control what you can control in this life. I always count my blessings when negative things arise. #gratitude."

No word on when Garbrandt will be cleared to return to action -- but we're hoping for a speedy recovery.

Shia LaBeouf allegedly transformed into a bully and thief over the summer ... and now he's being charged over it.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the "Honey Boy" star and a man got into some kind of verbal altercation that turned physical back in June in L.A. Our sources say after the dust-up was over, Shia took off the man's cap and left the scene with it.

It's unclear what led to the altercation or where exactly it went down but we’re told there were no major injuries to either guy. We're told the man filed a police report and cops investigated ... determining Shia was the aggressor.

The L.A. City Attorney ultimately charged Shia earlier this month with battery and petty theft, both misdemeanors. It's the first time in a while Shia's run into trouble with the law. You'll recall several incidents -- from his drunken arrest to his scuffle in NYC -- in 2017 that got him in hot water.

We've reached out to Shia's rep for comment, so far no word back.

A trial date has finally been set in the Dallas Goedert bar fight case ... months after the Philadelphia Eagles tight end was knocked out in an incident caught on video.

Goedert was socked in the face during a June 20 altercation at a South Dakota bar ... after getting into it with another group.

The man who was arrested and charged for punching Goedert, 30-year-old Kyle Hadala, got hit with a simple assault charge ... and faces jail time if convicted.

Goedert -- who was hospitalized for injuries sustained during the incident -- was neither arrested nor charged with a crime.

In fact, he healed up in time for the NFL season ... only to suffer a broken ankle in Week 3 and hit injured reserve. Tough year.

So here's what's next ... a pre-trial hearing for Hadala is set for Nov. 2 -- where prosecutors will likely try to hammer out a plea deal.

If no deal is made, a trial date has been set for Nov. 18.

As we previously reported, Hadala says he was protecting his friends -- and plans to fight the charge.

Big day for UFC champ Jan Blachowicz ... who was invited to sit down with the Prime Minister of Poland after winning the light heavyweight title!!!

Check out the pics of Jan with Mateusz Morawiecki choppin' it up in Warsaw on Wednesday ... to celebrate Jan's big victory over Dominick Reyes at UFC 253.

37-year-old Jan flew back to Poland right after the insane 2nd round knockout and he's been treated like a ROCKSTAR ever since ... with a hero's welcome at the airport and now an invite to hang with the PM.

"Thank you for the invitation from the Prime Minister," Jan said on social media.

"Both for me and the MMA community, it proves that our discipline is not only popular, but also noticeable by the most important people in Poland."

"It is an honor to be an ambassador of this amazing sport."

The two seemed to enjoy the hang out -- sipping coffee and eating snacks while talking about the fight.

Jan is on an impressive 4-fight win streak at the moment -- with victories over  Reyes, Corey Anderson, Ronaldo Souza and Luke Rockhold.

Jan is hoping to fight Jon Jones next ... but so is everyone.

If you're keeping track ... seems UFC's biggest stars are more connected than ever with world leaders.

UFC middleweight Paulo Costa wants another crack at Israel Adesanya ... calling the champ "human trash" for air humping him after Saturday's fight.

The Last Stylebender easily handled Costa with a 2nd-round TKO ... and promptly hit him with an NSFW celebration by getting on top of him and thrusting.

Costa says he had no idea what Izzy was doing at the time ... but now that he was able to see the footage, he's demanding revenge in a vicious video with the caption, "Adesanya is human trash. This has become a grave situation !"

"I disapprove 100%," Costa said in the video. "To me, this is mortal now. Nobody can stop me.

"I want my rematch and you know I will wait for you."

Costa goes on to say "something happened" before their big fight ... and he will be fully prepared the next time around.

"I'm not [making an] excuse here to my people, to my fans. but I will be 100% to fight him and to make him pay. That's my words. Save my words."

Mike Tyson says if he would've gone into mixed martial arts -- instead of boxing as a teenager -- he would've been a helluva MMA fighter ... as long as no one stepped on his feet!!

Yes, one of the most ferocious men the world has ever seen has a weakness ... and it's having his feet stomped.

TMZ Sports talked to 54-year-old "Iron Mike" -- a huge UFC fan -- about how he would've fared if he dedicated his life to a different combat sport.

"I could of done all that stuff," Tyson says.

"I could of done all that stuff but once someone stepped on my foot, I would of tapped out. My feet are my weak spot! You step on my feet, I'm gonna tap out!"

FYI, if you're not familiar with MMA rules ... stomping on your opponent's feet IS allowed.

Tyson -- who has recently worked with fighters like Francis Ngannou and Rashad Evans -- started boxing at an early age ... and became the youngest heavyweight champion of all-time at 20 years, 4 months when he beat Trevor Berbick in 1986.

UFC 1 didn't take place until late-1993 ... while Tyson was in prison.

"I don't give a f**k about Jon [Jones]. This is about Dominick Reyes and my journey and the gold belt."

That's 30-year-old UFC star Dominick Reyes plainly saying he could not care less about Jon Jones ... or the fact he isn't fighting Bones for the Light Heavyweight title at UFC 253 on Saturday.

Reyes -- whose only career loss was a very controversial decision to JJ in February -- says his sole focus is on becoming a champion.

"As long as I get that gold, that's all the matters to me. That's all that ever mattered to me," Reyes says.

"With Jon, it was cool because I would be knocking off the greatest light heavyweight of all time, ya know? It would of been really cool and freaking awesome, but it is what it is."

Dominick continued ... "We turn the page, ya know? It's my challenge in front of me. I gotta serious serious f**king threat in front of me. So I gotta do my work and show the world that I'm best light heavyweight in the world."

Of course, Jon relinquished his LHW title a few months back ... and is likely moving up to heavyweight.

Meanwhile, the only thing standing between DR and being anointed the best light heavyweight in the world is 37-year-old, 6'2", 205 lb. UFC star Jan Blachowicz.

DaBaby's alleged beating victim says he's on the verge of possibly needing back surgery to fix nerve damage ... this according to the man's lawyer.

Anthony Werbin of Downtown L.A. Law Group is repping Cristofher Pocasangre, and tells TMZ his client's now suffering through structural damage to his back and spine ... on top of previously diagnosed nerve damage from the incident with the rapper.

The lawyer says Cristofher has unbearable pain on a daily basis since DaBaby allegedly put a beatdown on him in a Bev Hills hotel last December. He's also getting injections to his back to help ease the pain ... according to Werbin.

If Cris's pain continues, Werbin says he might need to get back surgery in the next couple of weeks.

We got a photo of the alleged injuries ... and though it looks minor on the outside, Werbin says the internal injuries are excruciating. On top of that, Pocasangre claims the incident took an emotional toll on him, saying he was embarrassed and humiliated after the video started circulating on social media.

To that point, Chris' lawyer says friends have been taunting Chris for not standing up for himself against DaBaby. Truth is ... he says he was scared when it all unfolded.

As we reported, Pocasangre sued the rapper -- who he says used to be his fave artist -- claiming DB went on a violent rage when he snapped a selfie with him.

Boxing star Jermall Charlo is an undefeated champion, but says if he wants to be remembered as an immortal fighter, he needs to fight and KNOCK OUT Canelo Alvarez.

The 30-year-old WBC middleweight champ (30-0, 22 KO's) is fighting Sergiy Derevyanchenko Saturday night on Showtime. Derevyanchenko -- a former amateur champ -- has only lost 2 pro bouts and gave Gennady Golovkin a tough fight.

Beating Sergiy would be a good win ... but Charlo tells TMZ Sports if he wants to be remembered as one of the greatest ever, he needs to go big game hunting.

Big ... as in the biggest star in the sport, 30-year-old Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KO's).

"I just know [a Canelo fight is] always getting closer. One day I'm gonna get that call. That's all I can always dream for. Hope to fight the best. The best fight the best in the world."

Jermall says it's not enough to fight Canelo, or even just beat him ... he's gotta knock his ass out.

"I gotta fight him and once we fight, I knock him out and then everyone in the world will be able to cement my legacy as one of the best to ever do it."

Why is the KO necessary?

Charlo says Alvarez was already beaten by Floyd Mayweather back in the day, so he's gotta do what no other fighter has ... stop Canelo.

And, Jermall says he's ready ... it's just up to Canelo to accept the fight.

Conor McGregor says he's got his next fight on deck ... and it's not in the Octagon -- it's a boxing match against Manny Pacquiao!!!

So ... is this real, or is the dude blowing major smoke??

Here's the deal -- Conor went on a mini-rant on Twitter on Friday ... posting Instagram DMs with Dana White that seemingly show he was begging for a fight prior to his retirement in June.

"I was pushing hard for the season," Conor says. "Multiple opponents, multiple dates offered throughout. All to take place back to back."

He added ... "Then when covid hit and the talk was that I would have to wait for crowds again, I walked away from the situation. I was waiting long enough at that stage."

This all came to a head after Hall of Famer Diego Sanchez said he wanted his retirement fight to be against McGregor ... which Conor seemed to be down with back in February, according to the DMs.

Nothing was able to come to fruition ... and now Conor is telling his 8.2 million Twitter followers he'll be back in the fight game ... just not for UFC.

"Anyway all water under the bridge who gives a fook," Conor tweeted. "I’m boxing Manny Pacquiao next in the Middle East."

While the news is extremely exciting, it must be taken with the biggest grain of salt on the planet -- Conor has been known to use his platform to express his frustrations in the past.

It IS pretty interesting, however, that Conor recently posted footage of himself training in the ring ... so, coincidence??

White has also previously spoken on the possibility of setting up a Conor vs. Manny fight -- saying, "I don’t care about that s**t."

So ... there's that.

Story developing ...