MMA

Ray J's knockout loss to Supa Hot Fire is turning into an even bigger mess ... 'cause the promoters behind the fight are investigating possible foul play.

Brand Risk Promotions released a statement Monday, announcing it has launched an internal investigation after one of the fighters allegedly insinuated there may have been a "prearranged plan" tied to Saturday night's bout.

While the statement never specifically named anyone ... the timing comes after Ray J's bizarre post-fight comments set social media ablaze.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s son Knox Jolie-Pitt is switching things up -- stepping out with a bright new look ... orange hair and all!

The 17-year-old was spotted leaving Muay Thai class in L.A. on Memorial Day ... and yeah, being inconspicuous was clearly not the assignment.

Knox usually keeps things pretty low-key, style-wise -- but looks like he’s having more fun with it ... and honestly, the color works!

Ray J is learning from the best as he prepares for his upcoming MMA fight against Supa Hot Fire ... because we have video of him training with MMA icons Chuck Liddell and Rampage Jackson.

"The Iceman" -- with an impressive 21-9 record -- got to teach the singer a thing or two about what he'll be in for inside the ring. They swapped the octagon for a dining room, but no worries -- the training looked just as effective.

In the fight prep footage, obtained by TMZ, Ray J looks super locked in ... working up a sweat and picking the brains of two icons who've spent years destroying people professionally.

Ray J posed for photos with Chuck, the founder of Creators Inc., Andrew Bachman, and Ray's longtime manager, David Weintraub.

Ray J, as you know, was recently on death's door with a bunch of serious health issues — but now the R&B singer is back and stronger than ever, training his ass off for his upcoming MMA fight against Supah Hot Fire.

TMZ obtained exclusive video of Ray getting into tip-top shape with his posse, which includes a couple of hot female influencers shaking their booties as Ray is pumping iron.

As you can see ... Ray is taking this Saturday's match up very seriously as he spars with a partner and practices various takedown maneuvers and even shows how he plans to choke out Supah Hot during their fight.

Influencer Gabbie Gonzalez unsuccessfully tried to get a former MMA fighter to intimidate her baby daddy, Jack Avery ... before she decided to look for a hit man to take him out, according to the criminal complaint. 

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Gabbie and her pal Kai Cordrey, who is also charged over the alleged scheme to have a hit man kill Jack, went to Dustin Barca, a former professional fighter and boxing trainer. Dustin has a 4-0 record in his pro career. 

Gabbie and Kai tried to convince Dustin on March 23, 2021, to threaten, scare, or force Jack to leave Kauai, per the criminal complaint. 

Ronda Rousey made quick work of Gina Carano in their highly anticipated mixed martial arts fight, forcing her tap out in just 17 seconds.

Rousey returned to the Octagon at L.A.'s Inuit Dome Saturday night after a nearly 10-year hiatus and came storming out of the gate in the first round, tackling Carano to the canvas. 

The MMA star then put Carano in her signature armbar, and that was it, folks. Carano immediately tapped out. After the match, Rousey said she's headed back into retirement to be with her family, ending her 13-2 MMA career on a high note.

Le'Veon Bell's moving on from Logan Paul, but he's not going far looking for his next fight ... he's setting his sights on the other brother in the family!

TMZ Sports talked to the former All-Pro running back on Wednesday in Venice Beach, at an event for the Problem Child's Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano headlined card on Saturday ... and we asked him about his fighting career, asking him if he was interested in Jake.

"Yeah, I'd fight Jake," Le'Veon said ... "I think Jake would be more of a match [for me]."

Raja Jackson struck a sweet plea deal in his wrestling ring beatdown of Syko Stu ... with the son of MMA legend Rampage Jackson avoiding a lengthy sentence behind bars.

Jackson, 26, pled "no contest" to one count of battery with serious bodily injury, a felony, according to the L.A. County D.A.'s office, and will be officially sentenced in June.

It is expected that Raja will spend 90 days in a cell before going on probation for two years. He'll also be ordered to pay nearly $82K in restitution.

Could Jake Paul be next for Mike Perry after Nate Diaz?! The MMA turned bareknuckle boxing star says "absolutely!"

"Platinum" Perry, 34, chopped it up with Babcock less than two weeks before his highly anticipated scrap against Diaz, 41, on the Paul-promoted MVP event on May 16 in Los Angeles ... and we asked if a win could set up an MMA fight with Jake, after boxing the Problem Child in 2024.

"Absolutely," Mike said.

Jorge Masvidal is pulling back the curtain on his beef with Chael Sonnen, telling TMZ Sports why the two MMA stars have been publicly feuding.

"I was just minding my business, and I see this guy is dedicating his podcast to me, 10-minute bits," Gambred told Babcock this week.

"And then I found out through the grapevine, because I got this job at Deep Waters MMA on Paramount, it's me, Dustin Poirier, Din Thomas, and Chris Weidman hosting this show every day live, great plug, but Chael's bitch ass had applied for it."

Don't confuse Ronda Rousey's show of respect with weakness ... 'cause the MMA legend says she's hellbent on beating Gina Carano's ass next month, despite appreciating all the fighter-turned-actor has done for the sport!

"Once they close the door, I'm going to do everything in my power to kill that chick with my bare hands, and it's up to that referee to stop me," Rousey ominously told Babcock this week.

It's a different tone than Ronda's struck for much of the lead-up to the highly anticipated MVP-promoted event on May 16.

MMA is in its comeback era ... but you can cross Michael Bisping off the list of fighters making huge returns in 2026 ... he tells TMZ Sports, while he can still whoop a ton of ass, he's staying retired.

That is, unless several Brinks trunks back into his driveway.

We caught up with The Count at LAX this week ... and asked with big names like Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano stepping back in the cage, could he be following suit??

"Platinum" Mike Perry says he's ready to unleash a whole lot of violence on Nate Diaz, telling TMZ Sports the star from Stockton will leave the cage leaking when the MMA fighters meet in just over a month!

"I'm looking to go in and give the people the bloody people's fight, the people's main event show that they're looking for, the real BMF-style altercation and meet Nate in the middle and, you know, spread some blood," Perry, 34, told Babcock this week.

Of course, Perry and Diaz are fighting on the Jake Paul-promoted, Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano headlined event on May 16 in Los Angeles ... and despite a bunch of big stars and big fights, fans are arguably most excited for Mike and Nate's scrap.

The UFC shared some behind-the-scenes photos from its collab with the FBI earlier this month at the agency's headquarters in Quantico, Virginia ... showing off some of the work accomplished during the combat seminar.

Jorge Masvidal, Chris Weidman, Justin Gaethje, Claudia Gadelha, Manel Kape, and Michael Chandler all helped out in the event that FBI Director Kash Patel lobbied for months prior.

In one of the photos, you see Patel watching as Weidman and Gaethje give recruits pointers on moves they can break out on bad guys. Another photo shows Gadelha -- a former contender in the UFC strawweight division -- going with a more hands-on approach in her lesson.

MMA fighter Maycee Barber got choked up talking about her knockout loss over the weekend, saying she looked dead lying there on the canvas.

Barber posted a video on X after she was savagely beaten by her opponent, Alexa Grasso, during their UFC flyweight matchup in Seattle on Saturday night.

In the first round, Grasso landed a hard left to the face, dropping Barber like a sack of potatoes before finishing her off by choking her out. Barber was left lying limp on the canvas with a blank stare in her eyes. Grasso was announced the winner of the fight.

The world continues to mourn the loss of Chuck Norris ... including his friend, actor, martial artist, and Tae Bo creator Billy Blanks, who told TMZ Sports the legendary figure played a major role in shaping him as a person.

We caught up with Blanks at LAX this week ahead of his induction into the MMA Hall of Fame -- an honor he says means a lot, especially since Norris is also enshrined.

That's when Billy became emotional while talking about his friend Chuck, who passed away last week at the age of 86.