Boxing

Dana White is making one thing clear -- he's absolutely FED UP with Jake Paul ... telling TMZ Sports he has no interest in talking about the YouTuber's fight against UFC legend Anderson Silva.

It's no secret -- the UFC honcho and Jake have become hated rivals in recent years ... with Paul constantly calling him out for how he runs his business, and White criticizing the Problem Child's relevance and talent in combat sports.

After his fight was announced this week, Jake posted an old clip of Dana, who previously said he doubted Paul would ever call out Anderson, hyping up Silva's skills in the boxing ring. Now that the fight's been made, we had to ask White about the matchup.

Well -- we tried, at least ... before White cut us off.

"I don't care about that. I literally was saying the other day, everybody keeps asking me about Jake. This guy's not even in my sport!!"

"I don't care."

What Dana DOES care about is UFC 279 on Saturday ... where Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev are set to duke it out in Las Vegas in one of the most anticipated fights of the year.

Adrian Peterson ain't done with football yet ... the future Hall of Famer says he still wants to play -- and he revealed to TMZ Sports he's got his eye on joining one of the three big Super Bowl contenders this year.

The former Minnesota Vikings star -- who's training his ass off to fight Le'Veon Bell in a celeb boxing match this weekend -- said despite his newfound goals in the ring ... he's hoping someone gives him a call to play football later this season.

Specifically, the running back said he's targeting the Bills, Rams and 49ers.

"There's a couple teams out there," A.P. admitted out in L.A. on Wednesday while gearing up for his big fight night with Bell. "Buffalo Bills would be a good team. The Rams, I don't know what need they'll have at running back. San Fran would be a good look."

Peterson said while Buffalo, L.A. or San Francisco would be ideal -- the plan is to ultimately chase a ring somewhere this year.

"There's a lot of teams that have the opportunity to advance far into the playoffs that I've thought about," he said.

For now, Peterson -- who last played for the Seahawks in 2021 -- is solely focused on boxing ... as his match with Bell is scheduled to go down at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday.

Adrian tells us he isn't worried about the age gap between him and the former Pittsburgh Steelers star (37 to 30) ... and is hoping his power and awareness get him a win.

Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell finally gave us a long look at their boxing skills ahead of their big fight night ... with both dudes hitting the mitts at a workout in L.A. on Wednesday.

The guys took to a local gym's canvas and threw combos repeatedly -- just three days before they'll scrap at Banc of California Stadium.

Peterson put on the gloves first, and while his workout was less intense than Bell's ultimately was ... he showcased what appeared to be some big power.

A shirtless Le'Veon went next -- and he looked good. He was smooth and precise while showing off a chiseled frame.

The guys' fight is all part of the Social Gloves 2 event -- and will take place just before YouTubers Austin McBroom vs. AnEsonGib square off.

Blueface will not be stepping into the ring with Nick Young on Saturday -- the rapper has not yet been approved for a boxing license ... and now event promoter Austin McBroom is scrambling to find a replacement with only 3 days until fight night.

TMZ Sports is told the 25-year-old Thotiana rapper received a letter from the California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday informing him his application for a pro boxing license in the state would not be granted until he appeared before the organization in October.

Obviously, that means Blueface can't fight Swaggy P on Saturday's Social Gloves 2 card at Banc of California Stadium in L.A.

McBroom is headlining the event with rival and fellow YouTuber, AnEsonGib. Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell are also fighting.

Of course, Blueface has made headlines lately for several violent altercations with his girlfriend Chrisean. It's unclear if those incidents played a role in the denial of a license.

It's not the first bout Blueface has been pulled from ... he was taken off the recent KSI card at the O2 Arena in London, where he was supposed to fight FaZe Temperrr.

Now, McBroom and his partners are working tirelessly to find a suitable opponent for the 6'7" former NBA star.

Story developing ...

Austin McBroom is clearly ready for his fight this weekend ... 'cause he flattened one of his sparring partners in a recent training sesh -- and the YouTuber's violent KO punch was all caught on video obtained by TMZ Sports.

McBroom, who's slated to finally box AnEsonGib at the Social Gloves 2 event at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday night, showed off his improving skills in a workout just days ahead of the huge fight night.

In the footage, you can see McBroom probing his opponent -- before dropping him with a vicious right hand to the jaw.

The force of the blow was so heavy, the dude immediately crumpled to the canvas -- and nearly spilled out of the ring in the process.

McBroom has showcased his quick hands before -- pummeling Bryce Hall in their fight back in 2021 -- but he's clearly taken things up a notch.

He and Gib have exchanged trash talk repeatedly over the last few months in the buildup to the fight -- and the guys nearly came to blows in the TMZ office last week. Seems McBroom is more than ready to settle things once and for all this week.

A man who's been hit by both Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell in his football career is weighing on the celeb boxing match between the two NFL stars ... and he's giving the edge to AP in the fight.

Orlando Scandrick -- the longtime Dallas Cowboys cornerback who played 11 seasons in the NFL -- says in his mind, Peterson is the safer pick if you're looking to bet on the match later this week.

"I've seen a couple of Instagram highlights and Adrian looks very, very strong," Scandrick tells us. "I know Adrian is very, very determined. I know he's a hard worker, he gives it all at everything."

"I mean, I'd be surprised to not see Adrian be victorious."

Bell and Peterson will square off on Saturday as part of the Social Gloves 2 event at Banc of California Stadium. The betting favorite is Le'Veon -- but it's clear, Scandrick, who played against both running backs multiple times in his career, sees the tilt going differently.

As for if Orlando would ever get in the ring himself, he told us there's no chance in hell.

He did, though, deliver a message to the guys ahead of the fight -- "Protect yourself!"

Nate Diaz has a huge fight next weekend, but the scrap with Khamzat Chimaev isn't stopping the superstar from Stockton from launching his very own fight promotion, Real Fight, Inc.

TMZ Sports is told 37-year-old Nate, one of the most popular fighters in the world, will apply to become a promoter of combat sporting events sometime over the next few weeks ... with a specific focus on "boxing, MMA, and BJJ," according to team Diaz.

It's a path we recently saw Khabib Nurmagomedov take, when after retiring, he launched Eagle FC ... his own MMA promotion. Khabib's been able to sign fighters like Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez to his promotion.

The difference with Khabib and Nate ... Diaz isn't done competing.

"The new venture has no bearing on his status as a fighter, where he will continue to be very active.  Real Fight, Inc. is his expansion into the business side of the sport where he has been a fixture for close to 20 years," Diaz's team tells us.

As for the fighters Nate's looking for, they told us this ... "The promotion will look attract fighters from around the world, whether it be up and coming prospects or household names who fit the brand of 'Real Ninjas. Real Fighters. Real Shit...'”

Caitlyn Jenner is getting put on BLAST by a transgender artist who's getting ready to step in the ring ... and she's calling Caitlyn out to be her next victim.

CJ was challenged by recording artist BraydBunch at a recent face-off event for the Fake Drake celebrity boxing match, which is set to go down in October.

As Brayd faced off against Mike Mazza, she says she hopes her courage will bring others like her into the boxing scene -- even saying she'd love to take Caitlyn down next.

The insults were FLYING -- calling her an oldie whose Olympic status won't mean squat once she's done with her ... she's craving the opportunity to "shut her up," and thinks she can get it done in the ring.

Caitlyn has some experience in the ring, but it might not have been as legit as it looked -- she fought and "beat" bodyguard Mark Behar back in '09 for a charity match ... Mike later claimed the fight was staged for their reality show.

FYI -- the Fake Drake boxing event was supposed to end the night with a big brawl between the imposter himself and Lamar Odom, but the basketball star recently backed out and was replaced by YouTuber M2thaK.

Evander Holyfield's gloves from his iconic rematch with Mike Tyson -- where "Iron Mike" infamously bit part of his ear off in one of the most memorable sports moments ever -- are hitting the auction block, and could fetch $100K!

Holyfield wore the gloves during his highly-anticipated second fight with Tyson on June 28, 1997 ... when the two squared off at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The red gloves worn by Holyfield -- one of the greatest fighters in boxing history -- were made by Everlast, and have "Holyfield #1" in black marker on each cuff logo.

The folks at Lelands tell us Holyfield's gloves show "light use" -- which makes sense, considering the bout was called after only three rounds, when Mike chomped into Evander's ear.

Remember, Holyfield defeated Tyson via 7-round TKO the first time they fought in November 1996.

During their second fight, Holyfield once again proved to be getting the better of Tyson, which frustrated the legend ... who bit Evander's ear in the third round.

Referee Mills Lane deducted points from Tyson, before ultimately disqualifying him, ending the contest in dramatic fashion.

Tyson has since explained the reason he bit Holyfield's ear ... saying he was upset Evander was "headbutting the s*** out of [him]" and "ringing my f***ing bell."

Some speculated Tyson pulled the stunt as a way to get out of the fight after Holyfield got the better of him in the early rounds.

The fight may have disappointed boxing fans in the moment, but the night has become part of boxing lore ... and that's why the used gloves could rake in 6-figures.

The gloves have already been bid on 5 times ... with a high mark of $12,155. Look for that figure to go up substantially.

Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib are both focused on beating the brakes off each other next weekend ... but they've also got an idea of who they wanna face next -- telling TMZ Sports they're going after KSI and Jake Paul, respectively.

McBroom and Gib are the main fight at the Social Gloves 2 event at Banc of California Stadium on September 10 ... and stopped by the TMZ office earlier this week to talk some serious trash.

Gib says his plan is to "dismantle" McBroom next Saturday and then go for the best ... who he considers to be the Problem Child right now.

Of course, Gib and Jakey P already met in the ring in 2020 ... when both guys were still pretty inexperienced fighters. Paul came away with the TKO win in the first round.

As for McBroom, he says it's only a matter of time before he gets a piece of KSI ... who after his two recent victories, claimed he'd be interested in taking the winner of the Social Gloves bout.

"Oh that fight's gonna happen," McBroom said. "After this, after he sees that easy work, for sure it's gonna happen."

Tensions were at an all-time high when Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib visited the TMZ office on Monday ... with the two YouTube superstars getting in a heated confrontation ahead of their boxing match.

Austin and Gib came to our HQ for a sit-down interview leading up to the Social Gloves event at Banc of California Stadium on Sep. 10 ... and while things started off cordial, the mood quickly changed as both sides unloaded smack talk.

McBroom started it off by saying Gib looks too small to last in the ring with him ... which triggered the hilarious clapback, "you got t***ies!!!"

McBroom -- who beat TikTok star Bryce Hall last year -- says he thinks their fight will end before 3 rounds ... and Gib promised to "shower Austin in suffering."

"He's going to be in pain from the moment the bell rings, because he's never faced an opponent like me," he added.

The guys traded verbal jabs like that for nearly half an hour ... and when it was time to leave the studio, they came close to getting physical.

Here's the breakdown ... the chirping continued as they left the studio, with Gib throwing some playful jabs near Austin's face, which he was NOT happy about.

When Gib extended his arms out, Austin pushed them away ... and it was clear they were no longer being playful.

The fighters got right up in each other's faces ... before Austin's team luckily came in and whisked him away.

Jake Paul's next opponent could be his biggest challenge to date -- it's none other than UFC legend and pro boxer Anderson Silva, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

47-year-old Silva is the former UFC middleweight champ ... and some even consider him the greatest MMA fighter ever, beating names like Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin and more.

We know what you're saying -- another UFC fighter?? But, anyone who's been following Silva's career knows the guy has had a resurgence in boxing ... and currently holds a 3-1 record. He most recently beat Tito Ortiz in September 2021. The loss came ages ago in 1998.

His most impressive accomplishment in the ring was a win over Julio Caesar Chavez, Jr. -- son of the legendary Mexican fighter -- who at one time was the WBC middleweight champ.

Paul, on the other hand, is 5-0 with four knockouts. He's beaten big names like ex-NBA player Nate Robinson and former UFC stars Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.

Kamaru Usman dominated Leon Edwards for the better part of 21 minutes, so why didn't the former welterweight champ just chill -- grab, wrestle, stay away -- in the 5th round of their UFC title fight? 'Cause that just ain't the Nigerian Nightmare's personality.

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Usman -- one of the greatest mixed martial artists to ever step foot in a cage -- just two days after his UFC 278 loss ... and we asked if he considered running out the clock over the fight's final 4 minutes.

"No, that's not who I am. When I fight, there's a reason I'm pedal to the medal and I don't look at the clock," Usman flatly told us.

Kamaru then continued ... "That's the way that I fight. I wanted to finish. It was just a beautiful technique. I could've taken him down, but I really wanted to finish and when I was setting up, you know only God knows what I was setting up, I didn't land it."

Despite the loss, Usman, who hadn't taken an L since May 2013, isn't bitter ... in fact, he's very impressed with the head kick with which 31-year-old Edwards ended the fight.

"It was just a beautiful technique. Beautifully timed, and he threw head kicks throughout the fight, but I blocked them all. That one was just money. I'm almost in awe on how good it was but it happens. Champions fall and then they get back and show you why they're champions."

As for all the memes, the people talking crap online, the other fights like Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez, Kamaru's paying all that no mind at all.

"I am mixed martial artist and I am the best mixed martial artist in the world. So, that's what I need to do. I need to prove that. I think of nothing else right now except that."

"When you sit on top of that thrown, then you can branch out and do other things. Right now, I don't sit on top of that throne right now. I'm not paying attention to all this side noise and side talk or anything like that. Let's focus on what we need to focus on first which is getting that back and then we'll decide."

Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, Chael Sonnen, Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell, Glover Teixeira ... all MMA legends Quinton Jackson fought (some wins, some losses) -- but none of these beasts qualify as the greatest fighter Rampage has faced -- that honor belongs to Jon Jones.

TMZ Sports caught up with the 44-year-old (don't say retired -- more on that later) fighter last month at LAX ... where we asked the former MMA champ what advice he's given to Jones as he (fingers crossed 🤞) gets closer to his first fight in the heavyweight division.

"Honestly, no cap," Rampage flatly told us, adding, "Jon Jones is the best person I ever fought. I don't think I can give him advice. He's a better fighter than me, you know what I'm saying. I keep it 100."

It's high praise coming from one of the most well-known (and badass) MMA fighters to ever grace a cage.

FYI, Jon and Rampage fought in September 2011. Bones won by rear naked choke in the 4th round.

Of course, all of Jon's incredible exploits have come in the light heavyweight division (205 lbs.) ... but now he's facing men who weigh up to 265 lbs. More weight, more power. Will that be an issue for Jones? We asked Rampage.

"I don't know about Jon Jones' chin. It's been rumors that he don't got a strong chin. The heavyweights, man, you know they hit harder but I feel like Jones is a smart fighter. It was really hard for me to hit him, he wouldn't let me hit him. Granted, Jones is a dirty fighter. When you get close to him, he gon' poke you in the eye and kick ya knee backward."

Quinton continued ... "Heavyweights, they a different monster. They hit hard. They catch you slippin' -- look at Francis Ngannou. That guy hits you, it lights out. Game over."

We also asked Rampage -- who hasn't fought since December 2019 -- if he was done fighting for good.

"Nah, man. I ain't done. I'm not happy with my performance last fight. I can't leave the MMA fans like that."

Jackson's referring to his Bellator 237 scrap with the legend, Fedor. Emelianenko defeated QJ halfway through the first round by technical knockout (TKO).

But, if there's one more fight, Rampage says it might not be MMA ... there's a good chance it's a boxing match against former champ Shannon Briggs.

"I'm in talks with fighting Shannon. That fight has been almost a year in the making, but I wanna do some boxing before I retire," Quinton says.

First up, the "Road House" remake ... after that, a Mark Wahlberg flick?!

If Wahlberg had it his way, that's the Hollywood career path Conor McGregor would take ... 'cause the face of the "Ted" franchise said this week he wants to put the UFC superstar in one of his upcoming films!!

Walhberg made the revelation on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast ... explaining he truly believes McGregor has the chops to kill it on the silver screen.

"In the right movie," the 51-year-old actor said, "absolutely!"

Conor will get his first shot to prove that later this year ... when he stars alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the upcoming "Road House" remake.

And, if that goes well, seems his next stop could be on a Wahlberg film.

"I gotta get Conor to be in a movie," Wahlberg said.

Of course, Mark has tried to get the 34-year-old fighter to be in a movie for years -- he told us in 2015 he was attempting even back then to cast him.

If it doesn't go down -- don't count on Wahlberg stepping into McGregor's world instead ... Mark told the 'PMT' guys that his son absolutely won't let him get in a ring with the fighter.

"My son comes up to me and goes, 'Dad, don't you dare! Don't you even think about it!'"

Jake Paul is coming to terms with the fact he may never get a shot at whooping KSI in the ring ... claiming his nemesis was just using him to promote his own fights.

As we previously reported, the Problem Child and KSI made a Twitter deal earlier this month ... agreeing to finally settle their beef and set up a boxing match at Wembley Stadium in 2023.

The plan didn't stop the two YouTube superstars from throwing jabs at each other ever since ... with Jake most recently trashing KSI's event on Saturday, where he's slated to take two opponents in the same night.

Once the details of the fights against Swarmz and Luis Alcaraz Pineda were made public -- 3-round bouts with a 3-hour break in between -- Paul made his opinion known ... trashing the whole event.

"It's way easier than one 6 round fight," Paul tweeted.

"KSI & Minions Boxing doing the fans dirty with this fake s***. Mislead after mislead."

KSI clapped back by pointing out he's actually getting in the ring in 2022, unlike Paul, and taking on an actual boxing pro, also unlike Paul ... Jake unleashed his response.

"What you doing isn’t fighting. It’s an exhibition against a nice young man and your mate you make music with."

He added ... "KSI will never fight me. That is obvious and I'm ok with it. He is trying to hype his exhibition fights."

The realization comes days after TMZ Sports reported Rick Ross is putting up $10 million to try and find an opponent for his buddy, Jake.