Fights

Khabib Nurmagomedov is staying busy in retirement -- campaigning to be Luke Rockhold's fight coach for Luke's UFC return ... and it sounds like it could really happen.

"He’s assuming this coaching role now," Rockhold tells TMZ Sports ... "He wants to be a big part of my comeback."

Luke and Khabib have been training together for years -- but now that Khabib is done fighting, he wants to transition into coaching ... and take Rockhold on as his client.

Rockhold hasn't fought since July 2019 -- when the former middleweight champ made his light heavyweight debut against Jan Błachowicz.

The 36-year-old tells us he's been dealing with a shoulder issue that's kept him from taking a fight -- but he's recovering well and should be good to go in "late Summer."

Rockhold says he hasn't made an official decision regarding Khabib's offer ... but Luke is obviously considering the move.

In the meantime, Luke says he's heading up to Vegas to train with Nurmagomedov for a week -- and he'll probably make his mind up after that.

Either way, Luke says he's convinced Khabib will be just as good of a coach as he was a fighter.

"He’s going for the 'Coach of the Year.' That’s what he wants. He wants to be the next great thing, following in his dad’s footsteps."

"That’s what his dad always did. His dad was always insightful, and always had a good eye for the sport ... and I think Khabib’s ready to assume that role in fatherhood."

As for Luke's career. Rockhold says he's likely done fighting at light heavyweight and will resume his career back at middleweight.

"I believe [185 pounds] is my calling. I’m about 205 pounds right now and I’m just naturally there."

Luke adds, "It wasn’t really me to bulk up. I was lifting weights and did my thing to get up to 205 and I could barely hold 215, 220 max."

"I feel good. This is my championship weight. This is where I’ve done all my damage and I like the route to victory of what’s ahead of me, so I’m ready to go."

THIS IS CRAZY VIDEO!!!

The fighting spilled into the stands at an MMA event in Florida over the weekend -- with punches and chairs thrown everywhere -- and culminated with someone firing a GUN twice!!!

... and TMZ Sports has the unbelievable footage.

Here's the deal ... the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident at the RIZE Fighting Championship event which went down on March 20 at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth Beach.

The event was promoted as a bantamweight championship match between Alexis Fernandez and Filipe Valentim -- but there was more action in the stands than inside the cage ... when fans started to attack each other!!

Unclear how the brawl started ... but as several groups of people engaged in fighting, one man opened up a bag, pulled out a handgun and fired it into the air -- apparently hoping the gunshot would scare everyone into behaving.

But, watch the clip ... there are people watching the fights on the balcony, directly above the shooter -- and it's a miracle no one was hit!

We heard at least one shot -- but cops say at least TWO shots were fired into the air.

Former Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard -- who also fought in the UFC -- was in the crowd at the event and captured the shooting on video.

"This guy just shot his handgun in the middle of a melee at an amateur show," Lombard posted on IG ... "Shameful and pathetic cowardly behavior ruined a great night of fights."

When officials arrived on-scene, paramedics treated multiple individuals who were injured in the brawl portion of the incident.

So far, no arrests have been made -- but officials say they've launched an investigation in hopes of identifying the shooter and finding out why the hell he thought it would be a good idea to pop off a couple of rounds with so many people in close proximity!

Welp, sounds like Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield is dead ... Evander's camp says negotiations for a 3rd fight between the boxing legends have fallen apart.

"We thought this was a done deal but it quickly fell apart when Tyson’s people declined all offers,” Kris Lawrence said.

"We were negotiating in good faith all along and it appears we just ended up wasting our time."

As we previously reported, 54-year-old Tyson announced on his podcast last week that he'll be returning to the ring on May 29 in a massive event at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Tyson didn't name his opponent -- but all signs pointed to his old nemesis, 58-year-old Evander Holyfield.

Now, Evander's camp confirms the two sides were in serious talks -- "intense negotiations for several months" -- but the deal ultimately went south.

"Team Holyfield sincerely believed a deal was imminent, especially after the Hard Rock threw its support behind the project, and there were multiple other offers conveyed to Team Tyson," Holyfield's camp said in a statement.

"However, Team Tyson’s demands recently became untenable, and not what Mike Tyson had originally agreed on in direct conversations with Holyfield."

Our sources tell us ... Evander claims he personally spoke with Mike on the phone early on in negotiations and they agreed to a 50/50 split on profit.

But, things changed ... with Evander's camp claiming Team Tyson simply wanted a bigger cut.

Holyfield's team says they tried to make a deal in which Tyson would get a guaranteed $25 mil for the fight -- but Mike turned it down.

Now, it seems both sides are at loggerheads -- and willing to walk away from the deal.

Our sources on the Holyfield side tell us Evander still wants to fight -- if Mike's people will come back to the table with a better offer.

So, there's still hope ... but right now, it's not looking good.

Aaron Carter beat Shaq, but could be in big trouble when he boxes Lamar Odom ... 'cause the ex-NBA star sent his opponent to the canvas in a recent sparring sesh, and TMZ Sports has the vid!!!

As we previously reported, AC and LO are training non-stop for their Celebrity Boxing fight on June 12 in Atlantic City ... proving they're serious as hell about the bout.

We're told Odom has been hittin' the mitts with Barry Young at Decatur Boxing in ATL this week ... and it's obvious Lamar's putting in the work -- he even knocked the guy down at one point!!

Remember, we obtained a vid last week of Carter going HAM in the gym ... working with MMA fighter Jesse Strader.

Now, we'll keep it a buck -- these guys aren't gonna be Tyson Fury overnight ... but it's obvious they've got a passion for kickin' ass, and it looks like they'll be ready to go at it come June.

Both guys have guaranteed a victory ... but only one will come away with the dub.

More quarterback drama for the Seattle Seahawks ...

The guy who backs up Russell Wilson is being investigated by police for allegedly punching a man in the face at a bar on St. Patrick's Day ... TMZ Sports has learned.

25-year-old Alex McGough -- a 7th round pick in 2018 out of FIU -- was allegedly at the Green Parrot Pub in Tampa, FL when an altercation broke out ... and things got violent.

TMZ Sports spoke with the alleged victim, 24-year-old Anthony Albino -- who tells us he was reconnecting with an old friend at the bar when McGough approached him and accused him of shooting his shot at his girlfriend.

Anthony says the NFL player got heated -- and all of the sudden, McGough socked him in the face out of nowhere.

In video taken after the alleged incident -- and obtained by TMZ Sports -- you can see Anthony with red marks on his face ... surrounded by bloody paper towels he used to clean himself up.

Anthony says he suffered minor injuries from the incident ... including a bloody nose and a gash to his elbow.

We're told Anthony went to cops the following day and filled out a report with the intention of pressing charges.

So far, McGough has neither been arrested nor charged with a crime -- but our law enforcement sources confirm the incident is under investigation and officers are hoping to speak with McGough soon

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

The Seahawks signed McGough to its practice squad back in December 2020 -- and he's currently listed as the #2 quarterback on the team depth chart.

WARNING: This is tough to watch ...

UFC fighter Julija Stoliarenko collapsed TWICE on Friday while trying to weigh-in for her fight ... and was ultimately taken away on a stretcher.

27-year-old Stoliarenko (9-4-2) was supposed to take on Julia Avila (8-2) at UFC on ESPN 21 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Stoliarenko had to cut weight down to 135 pounds for the fight -- and she didn't show up to the scale until there were less than 15 minutes left in her official weigh-in window, according to MMA Junkie.

When she first stepped on the scale, she was clearly woozy ... and stumbled backward before collapsing.

Medical personnel raced to Stoliarenko within seconds and provided aid.

She got back up a few minutes later and went back on the scale ... but collapsed a second time.

Julia sat up and began to drink fluids -- but was wheeled out of the weigh-in area on a gurney to seek further treatment.

The UFC has since confirmed the fight has been canceled "due to weight cut issues with Stoliarenko."

No word on her current condition.

There will be no 30th fight for Khabib Nurmagomedov -- the UFC superstar is "officially retired," following a face-to-face meeting with Dana White.

White previously told TMZ Sports he wanted to meet with Khabib in hopes of convincing the 29-0 fighter to "un-retire" and take a final, 30th fight. Khabib's late father had told people his dream was to see his son end his career with a 30-0 record.

But 32-year-old Dagestani had unexpectedly announced his retirement back in October after beating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 ... Khabib's first fight since the death of his father.

Well, Dana and Khabib got together on Thursday to talk things out -- and despite a hard sell from Dana, Khabib will remain retired.

"29-0 it is," White posted along under a selfie with Khabib ... "He is 100% retired."

"It was incredible to watch you work [Khabib]. Thank you for EVERYTHING and enjoy whatever is next my friend.

Khabib will go down as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history -- smothering opponents with ease ... and never unanimously losing a single round!

Mike Tyson is coming back ... again!!!

The 54-year-old fighter has confirmed he's got another HUGE boxing match lined up for the end of May at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami ... but the big question, who's the opponent?!?

Mike made the announcement while talking with Canelo Alvarez and UFC star Henry Cejudo on his "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson" podcast ... saying he's looking at a May 29 fight date.

Mike didn't expand on the details -- but we already know Tyson has been eyeing a long-awaited rematch with Evander Holyfield.

In fact, Tyson has previously told us he'd be down to run it back with Evander -- as long as the two can raise a bunch of money for charity in the process.

We recently spoke with 58-year-old Evander Holyfield in December who told us "it looks like" the fight with Mike was going to happen.

The guy's been training like a maniac lately -- so, it would make sense.

Evander and Mike last fought in 1997 ... and it ended with Tyson biting a chunk out of Evander's ear. Holyfield's last pro fight was in 2011, when he earned a TKO victory over Brian Nielsen.

Former heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis has also told us he's down to scrap with Mike ... but only "if the people want it."

Mike last fought 52-year-old Roy Jones Jr. back in November and both men put on one hell of a show -- showing off incredible agility, power and stamina during their 8-round exhibition.

But, when we spoke with Roy just a few weeks ago, even RJJ was convinced Holyfield would be Mike's next opponent.

Justin Bieber. Snoop Dogg. Saweetie. The Black Keys. Doja Cat. Diplo.

No, that's not the new lineup for Coachella ... that's the list of music guests slated to perform at the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight next month!!

Triller just announced the stacked roster for its first-ever Fight Club on April 17 ... in hopes of turning the boxing match into a party for the ages.

The lineup is nuts ... and will also feature the debut performance of Snoop's rap supergroup, Mt. Westmore, with Ice Cube, E-40 and Too $hort.

Of course, Triller put on a hell of a show for the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight in November ... with performances by Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, Swae Lee and more.

Now, the video app is looking to top that ... enlisting the Biebs to draw more viewers to the big event, which will be directed by Emmy winner Bert Marcus.

"This event is more like making a tentpole movie than a boxing match," Triller's Ryan Kavanaugh said Wednesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"By bringing in the creative genius Bert Marcus and pairing his unique story-telling vision with his unmatched shooting style, the Fight Club event is going shock and awe people."

"We are giving the world something that has never been seen or done before."

Bieber is currently one of the hottest names in music ... with his highly-anticipated album, "Justice," dropping later this week.

Paul is clearly stoked to have the "Hold On" crooner in attendance ... saying, "Justin I love you. We’re breaking PPV records April 17th. Belieb that!"

NHL forward Jujhar Khaira was knocked out after taking a violent punch during a fight Monday -- and the blow was so vicious, the Oilers player had to leave the game due to injury.

The scrap went down in the 1st period of Edmonton's clash with Calgary ... shortly after Khaira infuriated Flames players by checking Oliver Kylington in the head with his shoulder.

Calgary forward Brett Ritchie hunted Khaira down, got him to drop the gloves for a fight, and then socked him right in the face.

You can see in the clip, Khaira appeared to be KO'd on his feet ... and once the 26-year-old hit the ice, he looked at refs with a completely dazed expression on his face.

Khaira immediately headed for the locker room to be looked at by trainers ... and he did not return to the contest afterward.

Thankfully, in the post-game, Edmonton coach Dave Tippett said he believed Khaira was "feeling all right" and is now just day-to-day dealing with the after-effects of the tilt.

Wack 100's being sued by a Hollywood actor claiming a brutal beatdown from the hip-hop manager left him bloodied and disfigured ... with his jaw wired shut.

Kenneth Lawson, who stars on the sitcom "In the Cut," is suing The Game and Blueface's manager claiming he got knocked out by Wack while he and his wife, Monique, dined at the sushi joint Yamashiro Hollywood back in December 2019.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Kenneth claims he was approached by Wack 100, who he says he had never met before, and started yelling at him and accusing Kenneth of speaking to Wack's wife.

Kenneth says Monique introduced herself as Kenneth's wife in an attempt to deescalate the sitch ... but to no avail. Instead, Kenneth claims Wack yelled, "Keep your bitch in check" before allegedly striking him in the mouth and jaw ... causing him to "violently strike his head on the ground, knocking him unconscious."

Kenneth also claims Wack, no stranger to throwing hands, turned to Monique and nearly struck her too before he was allegedly restrained by guests who intervened. He claims he suffered a 4-inch deep laceration to his lip and chin, multiple fractures to his jaw, three dislodged teeth and one tooth knocked out ... requiring his jaw to be wired for 3 months.

And, get this ... Kenneth claims he lost his Bounce TV show due to his injuries, which at the time of the incident was in its 7th season.

Kenneth and Monique are also suing Cash Money Records and its label honcho, Birdman, claiming Wack was at the restaurant that night to promote a recording artist named Bre.

Didn't see this coming ...

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre -- one of the greatest of all time -- says he actually HATED fighting during his 15 year MMA career.

... but he stuck around so long because he was addicted to the feeling he got after winning a match!

The 39-year-old superstar opened up about the situation recently on "The Complex Sports Podcast" ... and didn't mince his words.

"I don’t like the fighting. I hate it. It’s unbearable," GSP said ... "The feeling of stress. Not knowing if you will be humiliated or you might get hurt. It’s so hard."

"But when you win a fight, it’s really worth it. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. So that’s why I did it. Not because I love to fight. I love to win."

And one thing GSP did a lot during his career was win -- finishing his MMA career with a 26-2 record ... with victories over legends like BJ Penn, Michael Bisping, Nick Diaz, Matt Hughes and more.

GSP formally retired in 2019 -- 2 years after his last fight -- and has repeatedly said a comeback is most likely off the table.

Now, he's focusing on acting -- reprising his role as the French mercenary Georges Batroc in the upcoming Marvel series, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."

Georges says he uses some of his skills from fighting to help him as an actor.

"Like in fighting, acting requires a lot of repetition, a lot of preparation. In fighting, you do a lot of those as well and very often when you fight, you find out your opponent is never as good as you think he is and he’s never as bad as you think he is as well. It’s always different."

The main difference ... GSP acknowledges the stakes are much higher in fighting.

“In fighting, you only get one take. If you zig when you should zag --  boom! It can cost you not only a loss but it can cost you obviously cerebral damage. Damage that can cause your death. It’s very dangerous."

Belal Muhammad says he's getting vision back after a nasty poke to his right eye on Saturday night -- and he's going scorched-earth on the man who caused the injury.

Muhammad was in the 2nd round of his main event fight against Leon Edwards at "UFC Fight Night" in Vegas when the ref stopped the fight due to the accidental injury.

The fight was declared a no-contest -- and Belal was rushed to a doctor for treatment.

Muhammad tells TMZ Sports ... there was no major damage to the eyeball, "just a really bad scratched cornea and the lid."

Belal says he got stitches -- but they're expected to come out within 5 to 7 days.

But, Muhammad isn't mad about the injury -- he's pissed he didn't get the chance to showcase his skills for 5 rounds against the #3 ranked welterweight ... a fight that could have been HUGE for his career.

Now, Edwards -- who won the 1st round on all 3 of the judges' scorecards -- is publicly saying he's not interested in a rematch and would rather have a title shot ASAP.

Muhammad says that's total BS -- telling us he took the fight on 3 weeks' notice and deserves another shot at a main event fight with Edwards.

"If you're a man -- if you're a real contender -- if you think you're a real champion, you've gotta beat everybody. So, you gotta beat me and then earn your title shot."

Muhammad continues, "You think you earned a title shot off a no contest? That's like the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"You don't deserve a title shot, you deserve another rematch."

Muhammad says he was "just getting warmed up" when the eye poke happened -- and he's convinced he would've earned the "W" had it not happened.

Aaron Carter boxing video?? COME GET IT!!!

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of the pop star training for his huge fight against Lamar Odom ... and look, the guy's no Floyd Mayweather -- but you can tell he's busting his ass to be ready for the ring!!

We're told AC has been training with MMA fighter Jesse Strader for the June 12 bout ... working on his combinations, building some muscle and getting in some cardio.

It's clear in the video, Carter is taking this fight seriously ... and he's stoked about the chance to show off his skills.

"We are prepping for training for what they're calling the biggest celebrity fight of all time," Carter says in the video.

"We've been working on some stuff. We're just getting started. We're very excited about this."

As we previously reported ... both 33-year-old AC and 41-year-old LO have said they're gunning for a knockout. No one wants to be the next Internet meme.

Carter recently told us, "I know I can [beat Lamar]. Come June 12th, like I said, like Apollo Creed said, 'I’m gonna drop him like a bad habit,' and I mean that."

Of course, Carter's opponent is a former pro athlete with 14 years of experience in the NBA ... which seems super relevant in a fistfight!

Marvelous Marvin Hagler -- former middleweight champion and one of the greatest boxers who ever lived -- has died ... this according to his wife.

A post with the sad news went up Saturday on Hagler's official fan club page on Facebook, reading ... "I am sorry to make a very sad announcement. Today unfortunately my beloved husband Marvelous Marvin passed away unexpectedly at his home here in New Hampshire. Our family requests that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."

The note was signed by his wife, Kay. The exact circumstances of his death weren't released.

Hagler has gone down in history as a boxing great, and perhaps one of the best -- if not THE best -- middleweight fighters to step in the ring. He held the title as the undisputed middleweight champion of the world from 1980 to 1987 ... an incredible run.

He got his first title shot in '79 against Vito Antuofermo -- which got called a draw, despite many feeling Hagler had taken it. He got a 2nd shot at the title the following year ... this time against Alan Minter -- whom Hagler pounded into a 3rd round stoppage.

Year after year, Hagler successfully defended his title ... but one of the most brutal bouts to date ended up going down against Tommy Hearns in 1985, which got billed as "The War." It only went three rounds, but all of them were brutal ... especially that opening one, which is regarded as one of the most violent and action-packed to date.

Hagler's reign came to an end in 1987 against none other than boxing icon Sugar Ray Leonard, who came out of retirement for another shot at the title. They went all twelve rounds, and despite many saying Hagler got the better of SRL ... the latter was announced as the winner in a split decision. Granted, Leonard landed a higher percentage of punches.

Post-boxing, Hagler moved on to a career in movies ... in Italy no less. He notably starred in 'Indio' and 'Indio 2' as well as a few other action flicks. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.

Hagler is survived by his current wife and five children from a previous marriage. He was 66.

RIP

An NHL rink looked more like the UFC octagon Thursday night ... 'cause a Red Wings player was straight-up KNOCKED OUT by one punch in an on-ice fight.

The violent scrap all went down during the Lightning's game against the Red Wings in Detroit ... when things between Tampa Bay's Barclay Goodrow and Detroit's Adam Erne got chippy and escalated quickly.

Late in the 2nd period ... Goodrow checked Erne into the boards -- and Erne didn't take kindly to the shove, throwing his stick at Goodrow's legs.

Goodrow returned the favor by attempting to trip Erne ... and then the guys went at it!!

They dropped the gloves, started swinging ... and a few seconds later, Goodrow landed a haymaker right on Erne's jaw.

You can see in the clip, Erne appeared to be knocked out on his feet ... and in an awesome gesture from Goodrow, the Lightning player held up his opponent by his jersey so his head wouldn't crash down on the ice.

Both players were assessed penalties for fighting ... and Erne had to head to the locker room to get checked out by trainers.

Hockey, man.