UFC

Tommy Fury is back on his home turf -- the boxing star just touched down in London following his huge win over Jake Paul ... and he's putting his new belt on full display.

Tommy, Tyson and John made their way through the airport on Monday ... and the Furys were happy as could be, posing for pics and meeting with fans.

It's been a wild 24 hours for the Fury fam -- Tommy went 8 rounds with Jake and earned the split decision win in Saudi Arabia ... and they've been celebrating ever since.

Aside from a bandage over his right eye, Tommy looks pretty clean ... and he appears to be in good health.

Tyson was turning heads going through the airport, too ... but his hot pink luggage might be responsible for that.

After the fight, Tommy said he was eager to spend time with Molly-Mae Hague and their newborn daughter, Bambi ... and now that he's back home, we're sure some much-needed R&R is on the horizon.

As for Jake, he's bummed about the loss ... but he can wipe his tears with the $30 million he claimed to make off the fight.

Jake Paul beats Tommy Fury by TKO in the 8th round?! That's what a so-called leaked "script," burning up social media, claims will happen Sunday afternoon ... the only caveat is TMZ Sports is told it's completely fake!

The one-page document is titled "Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury Script - Revision #4 - Final" ... and breaks down what will (supposedly) happen in each round of the highly anticipated fight.

For example, round 1 reads ... "the fighters start off cautiously, circling each other and throwing jabs. Jake Paul lands a solid left hook, but Tommy Fury responds with a quick right hand."

Fury will begin to have trouble with his eye in the 4th round, per the script. By the 5th, the document says Tommy's eye will be so badly damaged it's nearly closed.

Then, in the 8th ... "Paul lands a huge right hand that sends Fury crashing to the canvas. Fury tries to get up, but he stumbles and falls back down. The referee starts the count, but Fury stays on the ground, clutching his eye."

"The ringside doctor rushes in to check on Fury, but he waves him away. Tommy shall then act out an eye injury that forces the referee to call off the fight, declaring Jake Paul the winner by TKO."

The problem ... multiple people associated with the fight/fighters are adamant the "script" is completely fabricated, fake, nonsense.

There do appear to be multiple inconsistencies. The document was produced by "Troop Boxing", which doesn't seem to actually exist. Further, the word "Boxing" in Troop's logo is a stock image available on the internet.

Also, Paul vs. Fury is a professional, sanctioned boxing match ... and fixing fights is illegal. Prison time kinds of illegal.

It also begs the question ... how would you fake an eye injury serious enough to cause a fight stoppage?

Nonetheless, the leaked script has many fans in a frenzy.

It feeds into the conspiracy theories that Jake's fights are fixed ... popular amongst boxing fans who refuse to give the 6-0 fighter any credit, despite beating the likes of future UFC Hall of Famers Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva.

Jake and Tommy are scheduled to fight in a matter of hours ... and it's probably safe to say the fight won't be stopped by the referee in the 8th over an eye injury (though, if it does, Drake won't be mad).

Drake's picking sides in the Jake Paul - Tommy Fury feud, placing a bet on The Problem Child to knockout TNT ... and judging by the massive size of the wager, Drizzy's feelin' confident the 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer will turn out Fury's lights.

Drake posted the Stake betting slip on social media Saturday night ... and he's risking $400,000. In order for the superstar rapper to cash out, Jake can't just win the fight, he must KO Tommy (in any round). If that scenario actually unfolds, Drake would receive $1.4 million ... which included his initial bet ($400k).

The payout's so large because statistically, it's a longshot ... the odds say there's a less than 30% chance the fight ends by Paul KO.

FYI, Jake's 6-0 ... and 4 of those fights have ended by KO. Tommy's also undefeated ... and obviously has never been stopped.

Drake's no stranger to making huge wagers. In fact, he bet $965k total on the Super Bowl ... and while he didn't hit on all his bets, he did pretty well. He's also bets heaps of money on UFC fights.

While the rappers riding with Jake, Tyson Fury is (obviously) siding with his brother. The heavyweight champion revealed earlier this week he put down over $100K on Tommy to win by stoppage.

"I've got 100 racks on it for an inside-the-distance stoppage, so if [Tommy] loses, then I'll lose 100 bags as well," Fury told iFL TV.

Jake and Tommy also made a bet during fight week (though, we'll see if it comes to fruition). If Jake wins the fight, he gets Tommy's money. If Fury wins, Jake double his money.

Bets aside, Paul and Fury flat-out hate each other ... and Sunday's fight is the culmination of years of trash talk. The men were supposed to scrap on two previous occasions, but Tommy pulled out -- once for injury, and the other over a travel issue.

Jon Jones' family is filled with Super Bowl champs, but the UFC superstar tells TMZ Sports he had zero chance of having a career on the football field -- 'cause he said he "absolutely sucked" at the sport.

Of course, Jones' older brother, Arthur, played 8 seasons as a defensive tackle for the Ravens, Colts, and Commanders ... and his younger bro, Chandler, currently plays defensive end for the Raiders.

With that being said, football is clearly in the Jones DNA ... so when we asked Jon if he could have followed in their footsteps, Bones made no bones about it -- he was ass.

"I absolutely sucked on the football field," Jones told us. "I was no good at all. I didn't play until my senior year [of high school]. I was always on the team, but I never got to play.

Jones -- who holds a 26-1 record in the UFC -- says he just didn't get the Xs and Os, coverages, or play calling behind the game ... and playing Madden didn't help either.

"I sucked at football. I made a hell of a benchwarmer, though," Jones said.

But, don't feel bad for the guy -- Jones ended up becoming one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever ... and he's back in the Octagon on March 4 to face 11-1 Ciryl Gane -- his first fight in over 3 years.

"A lot of people wanted to take a warm-up fight," Jones said. "I'm going right at one of the best talents the UFC has ever seen."

Erin Blanchfield isn't looking to prove herself worthy of a title fight ... she straight up believes she's a superior fighter to Valentina Shevchenko, telling TMZ Sports she plans to dethrone the current champ.

"[Valentina] can be taken down, she can be controlled on the ground and I think my jiu-jitsu is even better. I know I could fight with her anywhere. I'm confident in my striking and my wrestling and my jitsu," 23-year-old Blanchfield, fresh off an impressive 2nd round submission win over Jessica Andrade, told us this week.

The #3 ranked UFC flyweight then continued ... "I think just putting my whole game together, I think I'm more well-rounded in that sense where I can put it all together better and that I'll find that win whenever I can."

We asked Erin if she believes she's done enough to secure a fight for the belt.

"Oh, definitely. I think I've proved myself after this last weekend and I definitely want that title shot next."

Blanchfield vs. Shevchenko is the fight so many fans want to see, but Valentina has business to take care of beforehand. The 34-year-old champion is fighting 29-year-old Alexa Grasso at UFC 285 on March 4 ... where she's a heavy favorite (-600).

FYI, Shevchenko only has 3 losses in her entire career ... and 2 were to Amanda Nunes (some fans feel VS won 1 of the fights). Valentina hasn't lost since 2017 (and hasn't lost to anyone not named Nunes since 2010!). Blanchfield only has one loss on her ledger (in 2019) ... and has an 11-1 record in MMA (5-0 in UFC).

Erin tells us she's rooting for Shevchenko because a loss would almost certainly guarantee a rematch of the 285 scrap between the women, and EB isn't trying to wait. Not to mention, she'd like to be the woman to dethrone the future Hall of Famer.

"I definitely want Valentina to win. I wanna be the one to take that belt from her. She's been a super dominant champ, she's very skilled and having that prestige of taking a belt from someone like Valentina is definitely what I want."

As for how she thinks a fight with the current champ would go ... Blanchfield sees herself winning by any means necessary.

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

The Gervonta 'Tank' Davis vs. Ryan Garcia super fight -- which boxing fans have been begging for -- is finally happening on April 22 ... and it's set to go in Las Vegas!

Tank (28-0, 26 KOs) confirmed the news on Friday by tweeting, "April 22, 2023 Las Vegas It’s on!  #DavisGarcia GOOOOO."

The venue for the highly-anticipated fight is not yet public, but that's irrelevant ... bottom line, Tank and Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) agreed to fight at a catch weight of 136 pounds for a 12-round non-title fight.

It will be a Showtime Pay-Per-View event, in partnership with Al Haymon's PBC, Golden Boy Promotions, and DAZN ... who all worked together to make it happen, according to TalkSport's Michael Benson.

The fight's been years in the making ... and the heat's been ratcheted up, especially lately. Both fighters have gone back and forth, talking crap to one another.

Many fans assumed the fight would never happen (and some still don't believe it will), but Oscar De La Hoya told us in April he was very optimistic about the fight not only happening, but RG easily winning, saying ... "Ryan Garcia wants to knock him out so bad. He's calling it in two rounds."

"Both guys are in their prime. Both guys are undefeated. It's gonna be a great fight," ODLH told us at the time.

But, not everyone expects Ryan to win. In fact, pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez recently told us he expects Tank to win ... citing his experience.

There's a ton of money at stake when Jake Paul and Tommy Fury enter the ring on Sunday ... 'cause the two boxers just agreed to a hefty bet that could leave one of them without a dime!!

The Problem Child proposed the deal during their pre-fight press conference minutes ago ... saying if TNT wins, he will double his purse -- but if Jake is victorious, he gets EVERYTHING.

The deal was solidified with a handshake ... and Jake said he even had his lawyers draft up the paperwork beforehand to prove he's 100% serious.

A brief scuffle ensued ... with Jake and Tommy getting in each other's faces before being separated.

"You're a s***house," Tommy said during the altercation. "You are full of s***, you little bitch. I'll put you out inside the first round."

Jake then addressed the crowd ... saying, "You heard that, ladies and gentlemen ... it's a deal!!"

It's a risky bet for sure ... as Jake has previously claimed the fight will be the biggest payday of Tommy's career.

The rest of the presser was also filled with the usual back and forth ... but one change of tune came when Fury's dad, John -- who previously unleashed a ton of trash talk toward Jake -- was really complimentary of Paul and all he's accomplished at a young age.

Jake has been known to make friendly wagers in the past ... like when Tyron Woodley had to get "I love Jake Paul" tattooed on him after their fight in 2021.

Jon Jones hasn't yet gotten his feet wet in the UFC's heavyweight division, but he's already eyeing the weight class top dogs ... telling TMZ Sports he wants Stipe Miocic after he fights Ciryl Gane next month.

Jones told us he feels a tilt with the former champ could help "solidify my legacy" ... adding that if he wants to be known as one of the fight game's G.O.A.T.s -- he's got to beat the best to do it.

"People consider him the greatest heavyweight of all time," Jones said of Miocic. "The opportunity to compete against such a man, I'd be honored."

"The opportunity to beat such a guy would be truly something special."

Of course, 35-year-old Jones has to get through Gane first in order to get that opportunity -- and he tells us it won't be an easy task.

The 26-1 fighter called Gane "one of the best talents the UFC has ever seen."

"I got a huge, huge order ahead of me," Jones said.

If Jones does get through Gane at UFC 285 on March 4, though ... Miocic sure seems down to get in the Octagon with him.

The 40-year-old tweeted right after the Gane vs. Jones matchup was initially revealed last month "I got winner in July."

Former UFC star Nate Marquardt is in the crosshairs of the LGBTQ community ... after he tweeted an anti-gay response to a commercial that showed two men kissing.

The 43-year-old, who famously knocked out Tyron Woodley in a 2012 fight, fired off the offensive comments after he said he saw the ad while watching ESPN+.

In his tweet, he said the commercial was "disgusting" and that he had to tell his kids "look away so they don't see two men kissing."

The former fighter, a devout Christian, added a throwing up emoji.

Immediately, the ex-Strikeforce Welterweight Champion was panned by fans for the remarks ... but he doubled down on his stance in further tweets.

As of Monday afternoon, the posts were still up on his social media page.

Francis Ngannou has a boxing legend giving him at least a chance in a fight against Tyson Fury ... with Mike Tyson telling TMZ Sports believes "anything is possible" if the two heavyweights face off in an epic matchup.

Ngannou, who recently became a combat free agent after spending more than 8 years with UFC, told us last month he's been in contact with Fury's camp about making a fight happen with the Gypsy King.

Of course, Ngannou is one of the hardest-hitting fighters in the game, but it would be his first professional boxing fight ... and going up against Fury would be a huge task for anyone, let alone a rookie pugilist.

Tyson showed a bit of optimism for The Predator when we caught up with him in LA ... giving us a simple, yet hopeful response to his chances in the ring.

Fury might already have his next opponent lined up with Oleksandr Usyk, but it's clear both sides are serious about putting ink to paper sometime soon.

X-Pac, member of the legendary "New World Order" faction says Roman Reigns, Jimmy and Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, and formerly Sami Zayn's "The Bloodline" is "right up there" with NWO ... and he understands why fans compare the two groups.

We spoke to Pac, real name Sean Waltman, about the comparisons being made between the factions, and he admitted "the magnitude is similar" between the two groups and the impact they've had on wrestling.

Of course, many wrestling fans believe The Bloodline storyline is one of, if not the greatest, in WWE history.

As for NWO, it originally started out as a group in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) with Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. Their goal was to take over WCW by any means necessary, destroying everything in their path.

In 1996, Waltman joined NWO in WCW, becoming the group's sixth member. The WWE inducted NWO into its Hall of Fame in 2020, bestowing the honor on Waltman, Nash, Hall, and Hogan.

NWO will be featured on the season premiere of A&E's docuseries "Biography: WWE Legends" on February 19 ... and Waltman's pumped for the show, which will examine how the group changed the sports entertainment landscape.

"It's nice to have been a part of something that people want to see tv shows made about it, Pac said. "It feels really freaking good."

Former NFL player, Greg Hardy started his new career in the boxing ring Friday night ... but he wound up getting his ass whooped.

Hardy was duking it out with Josh Watson in the "Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship: Knucklemania 3" and, by the second round, he was eating the canvas.

Hardy's nightmare started at the end of the first round when he got punched so hard by Watson, he went flying into the ropes, nearly crumbling to the ground.

Then, in the second round, Watson landed a crushing left hook that put Hardy flat on his back. He tried to get to his feet, but he couldn't as the ref counted him out.

Last year, Hardy signed with BKFC, which promotes boxing without gloves. He previously had a deal with the UFC, but his contract was not renewed.

UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling wants into the exclusive champ-champ club ... telling us he plans to fight Henry Cejudo in May, and then wishes to go up a weight class to fight champion Alex Volkanovski!

First things first, 33-year-old Aljo, the #7 ranked UFC pound-for-pound fighter, has 36-year-old Triple C in his sights.

"We're slated for May 6, that's what we're thinking right now," Sterling told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1), despite admitting he likely won't be totally healthy after tearing his bicep last year.

But, Aljamain says if he decides to fight, there are no excuses.

"If I make the decision to sign on the dotted line, I'm signing on the dotted line and we're gonna fight no matter what it is at the time. I don't give a s**t about that. Henry has some stuff he's dealing with. I have some stuff I'm dealing with. All fighters have stuff they're dealing with. It's just whose the better man that night."

After the Sterling-Cejudo fight, assuming Aljo's victorious, that's when things could really get interesting ... because he believes he'll have earned an opportunity to move up a weight class, and fight

"I fought a lot of the best guys," Aljo says, making his case for a title shot at featherweight. He continued ... "How much do I have to do to say 'Ok, this guy finally deserves an opportunity to go up and see what he can do at 145.' I'm getting older. I'm on an 8-fight win streak right now and I want to test myself and take the opportunity."

Of course, Volkanovski -- the featherweight champ (145 lbs.) -- lost an incredibly close fight to lightweight champ (155 lbs.) Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 ... in his bid to join the double champ club.

As for how a fight with Volk would look ... Aljamain Tweeted last year, saying he believed he could take down and submit Alex, and while it's a 7-month-old message, his opinion hasn't changed all that much.

"There's a couple of factors. That was at 155. So he had a little more weight. Maybe not as depleted as he would be at [145]. I would be coming up to 45, not being as depleted as much as I am at 35."

And, that's why Sterling likes his chances.

FYI, only four fighters in the UFC's history have ever held two belts simultaneously: Conor Mcgregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Cejudo.

We also talked to Aljo about his side hustle ... making music. Sterling just released a track titled "Go Dumb", featuring his brother Troy, who raps under the name Troy Grindz.

"This is something I always wanted to do, my brother's been the musician of the family, he's always been very, very good lyrically," Sterling says ... but in a competitive industry, his bro's had trouble gaining traction.

Enter Troy's famous brother.

"It's been hard for him to promote himself, but it's something I always wanted to do, but fighting kind of called my name first. I think I was a better fighter than I was a rapper. I always wanted to make a song with him, so this was a cool opportunity now that I had some downtime," Aljo says.

We asked Aljamain if this was a one-time thing, or if he may make more music.

Like him or don't, it's undeniable that Jake Paul can strike ... but if the Problem Child truly wants to brush up on his wrestling skills and take an MMA fight, there's a U.S. wrestling legend who tells us he's happy to train the 27-year-old star -- Bo Nickal!

Nickal is a 3x NCAA Division I wrestling champion (184 lbs. x 2, 197 lbs.) who earned a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series last year. On Wednesday, TMZ Sports was talking to the 27-year-old, who just signed a deal with Jake's media company, Betr (more on that soon), when we asked if he planned to train with JP.

"Oh yeah. 100 percent. I'm super excited to train with [Jake]. Not only to be able to help him out a little bit on the MMA grappling side, but also just to learn from him," Bo said, adding, "He's got a ton of experience boxing and it'd be awesome just to be able to get together and work together."

Of course, Paul, 6-0 as a boxer, recently signed a deal with PFL ... and called out Nate Diaz. Jake, a solid wrestler in high school, proposed a two-fight deal with the MMA star from Stockton ... one MMA fight and one boxing match.

As for the partnership with Paul's Betr, Bo says he and Jake have a few things up their sleeves ... including a 'UFC Embedded'-style show that'll follow Nickal as he prepares for his first proper UFC fight.

Speaking of, Bo, 3-0 in MMA, just learned when he'll be making his first non-Contender Series appearance ... and it's on a big card, UFC 285, headlined by Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane. Jones hasn't been in the Octagon since beating Dominick Reyes in February 2020, over three years ago.

Nickal will face MMA veteran, Jamie Pickett at middleweight (185 lbs.) in the first fight on the main card.

Bo has visions of winning a UFC title, but isn't looking past his first fight ... a scrap he intends to end with a knockout or submission, and early on in the fight.

"I think first and foremost, I plan on just focusing on one fight at a time. Taking care of business this next fight, putting on a spectacular performance. I'd like to get a first-round finish. I'm expecting to finish this guy, regardless."

"Getting a finish in my UFC debut is really most prominently on my mind."

To say Bo's pumped about the Pickett fight may be an understatement ... he's ready to go!

Terrifying moment for Jon Jones and his family ... the UFC legend says his 9-year-old daughter came face-to-face with an agitated wild bobcat, but thankfully, she wasn't hurt.

The Jones fam lives in Albuquerque, NM ... and the area was hit with a winter snowstorm Tuesday night. Jon says someone accidentally left the door to his guest house ajar ... and as you're about to find out, a wild bobcat hit the jackpot, finding a warm place to rest.

Fast forward to Wednesday morning ... Jon says his daughter Olivia went to the guest house to retrieve a pair of sneakers, but she got a lot more than a Chuck Taylor.

"After completely walking into the room she was met with an aggressive hissing sound, she jumped on a countertop and a bobcat sprung out from underneath the bed, it stared at her," Jon wrote, describing the harrowing situation.

Jones -- who will return to the Octagon at UFC 284 in March -- says the bobcat ultimately bolted in the opposite direction ... a huge relief for dad.

"I'm so incredibly grateful this morning, that could've turned out so many different ways. Been thanking God all morning 🙌🏽"

Derrick Lewis is coming off two straight losses, and some have suggested he's on the verge of retirement ... but the Black Beast insists it's just the opposite -- for the first time in a while he loves fighting!

"I'm feeling good. Rejuvenated. I love the sport again. I love fighting once again. I love doing the training inside of it, once again. I'm feeling pretty good. Feeling confident and feeling ready. Feeling hungry like I used to be whenever I first started and I'm excited to see how it turns out Saturday night."

37-year-old Lewis, the #7 ranked heavyweight, will take on Sergey Spivak at UFC Fight Night from the UFC Apex on Saturday ... and Derrick has visions of working his way back to the top of the division.

Of course, the division is in a bit of flux after champion Francis Ngannou parted ways with Dana White's organization ... and Derrick believes he can still win the strap.

"The path [to the title has] always been there, but you know, I really just got to take my time, fight by fight. I can't really think that far ahead. I believe I still got a couple of fights to go and get back into that [title fight] talk. So, we just gonna take care of business Saturday and see where things go from there."

As for what changed to make Lewis fall in love with MMA again, he says he just realized he was better than how he performed as of late.