Kofi Kingston Blown Away By Logan Paul In WWE 'He Shouldn't Be That Good'
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Kofi Kingston is in awe at how fast Logan Paul has transitioned into a WWE Superstar ... telling TMZ Sports the YouTuber's skills in the squared circle are unreal!
We recently caught up with Kofi -- a 14x WWE tag team champ -- out at LAX, and he told us Paul's star power, coupled with his ability to pick up the craft quickly, makes him a perfect fit for WWE.
"To me, it just makes sense," Kingston said. "When you think about how popular Logan Paul is and even his entire story. His come-up and what he's been able to do in the world of boxing and entertainment in general, it would only make sense for us to be hand in glove."
Kofi praised Paul -- who alongside The Miz, wrestled his first match against Rey and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 38 -- saying, "he has a bright future ahead of him."
LOGAN PAUL HIT A FROG SPLASH AT #WRESTLEMANIA!!!@LoganPaul pic.twitter.com/9hpNIYgfwG
— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2022 @WWE
"To see what he did in the ring is very impressive," Kofi said.
"Especially as a performer who has seen a lot of people and has gone through the whole learning process, he shouldn't be that good, that quickly."
Kingston -- 1/3 of the "The New Day" -- said he takes Logan's word when he says pro wrestling is harder than boxing ... adding it's a "true art."
ARE YOU KIDDING ME @LoganPaul?!?!#SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/qOOrRMTffg
— WWE (@WWE) July 31, 2022 @WWE
"Well, I've never been a professional boxer, but it's awesome to hear him say that and kind of put respect on the grind that is WWE."
Kingston also said Big E's injury -- where he was dropped on his neck by Ridge Holland following a botched move -- reminds him how scary it is being a WWE performer.
"With E's situation and him breaking his neck ... you're reminded of just how dangerous what we do is," Kofi said. "It only takes one second for everything to go awry."
"With his situation, we really lucked out."
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Tyron Woodley A Fight w/ KSI ... He'll Get F****d Up Playing W/ Me!
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Tyron Woodley's ready to give the people what they want ... a fight between the future UFC Hall of Famer and YouTube star-turned-boxer, KSI!
Some backstory -- KSI blasted out a poll to his 8 million Twitter followers, asking a simple question ... would you like to see me fight T-Wood, Dillon Danis, Slim, or Dr. Mike in January?
And, the winner (at the time we're writing), with 264,446 votes or 36% of the followers polled ... Tyron Woodley. So, we asked the MMA star if he was interested in the fight.
"KSI, I like that he's energetic, he's all into it, he's all over the place but he's gonna get f****d up playing around me. My new slogan is 'don't get f****d up by having me f****d up' and he's had me f****d up for a long time talking shit about my name."
40-year-old Woodley then sent a message directly to the 29-year-old YouTuber.
"KSI, I know you watching because you watch everything I do. You probably was a fan of me like everybody else. If you're watching this, you wanna be a fighter, you want the respect, get the full training camp to yourself as you requested."
"I'll get the full training camp. January, we can get it cracking. We can get it cracking in White Castle. We can get it cracking in U.K. We can get it cracking in Vegas."
As for the fighter's resumes ... Woodley, of course, is one of the best MMA fighters of all time.
But, KSI isn't a scrub. He recently fought twice in one night ... albeit against overmatched opponents. He knocked out Swarmz and 2-5 pro boxer Luis Alcaraz Pineda at the O2 Arena in London.
Woodley also broke down some of what he was dealing with behind the scenes leading up to the second Jake Paul fight, and he expressed interest in a scrap with Tommy Fury.
Bottom line ... Tyron is anything but retired, and he's ready to dole out an ass whoopin'!
"Tommy, KSI, and anybody else that got my name in the mouth, put the dollars on the line and get your bitch asses in training camp and let's go!"
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Mike Tyson, Ric Flair Smoke Blunt At Weed Conference ... Woooooooooooooo!!!
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Best rotation ever??
Mike Tyson and Ric Flair were on cloud nine Tuesday night ... 'cause the two sports legends smoked doinks together after attending a cannabis conference in Chicago -- and judging by the vid, it was some GOOD stuff!!
The Nature Boy posted a clip alongside Iron Mike ... lighting up blunts on camera, smoking and giggling together out in the streets.
"Smokin' That Ric Flair Drip All Night Long With @miketyson! WOOOOO!" Flair captioned the video.
Tyson and Flair became partners in Mike's "Tyson 2.0" business earlier in the year -- and the two collaborated on Naitch's "Ric Flair Drip" cannabis line, according to Benzinga.
Flair and Tyson smoked multiple blunts on stage at the conference, according to Benzinga ... where Mike and Ric touted the benefits of smoking marijuana over using drugs like Xanax for pain relief.
Flair said during the event that smoking pot was a much better way to manage the pain he was experiencing due to the stress the wrestling industry put on his body.
This isn't the first time the two legends blew down ... Mike and Ric smoked with Rick Ross at a Benzinga Cannabis event in April -- after the boxer famously beat up a man on an airplane.
Woooooooooooooooooo!!
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Jake Paul Gimme Nate Diaz After Silva 'Slap The Stockton Outta Him'
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Jake Paul isn't duking it out with Anderson Silva 'til next month, but he's already got his eyes on his next opponent after Spider ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to "slap the Stockton out of" Nate Diaz!!
37-year-old Diaz hinted at making the switch to boxing after his big win over Tony Ferguson on Saturday ... which certainly got Jake's attention, considering Nate's UFC contract has ended.
We spoke with Paul at his news conference on Monday ... and asked if going up against the California native was a real possibility after his Oct. 29 bout.
Nate Diaz says he’s going into the sport of boxing. pic.twitter.com/wZoKkDbN2s
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) September 11, 2022 @jakepaul
"100%, 100%," Jake said. "I'll slap the Stockton out of him."
Paul says he's not looking past Silva, though ... adding he's a "crazy tough opponent" who he respects a ton.
Jake has been super complimentary of Diaz as well ... tweeting out praise for him over the weekend.
"Nate Diaz is a muthuf***in legend and would have slapped the s*** out of Khamzat [Chimaev]."
There are other guys Jake name-drops ... and they all sound like pretty good matchups.
We also spoke with Jake's older bro, Logan, on Monday ... and he gives us an update on his own boxing career -- saying something could be in the works in January.
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Jermall Charlo Prosecutors Dropping Charge Against Boxer ... In Assault Case
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Jermall Charlo just scored a big win in his assault case ... prosecutors tell TMZ Sports they're dropping the felony charge against the star boxer.
According to court documents, Charlo was accused of roughing up a family member during a Sept. 5, 2021 incident in Fort Bend County, Texas. He was eventually arrested over it all back in February, and charged with felony assault.
But a spokesperson for the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office tells us they filed a motion to dismiss the case on Monday "based on the reason that we cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt."
"Evidence developed in a way that did not support the charge to conclusion," the spokesperson said.
Charlo's attorney said in a statement Monday the 32-year-old was "very happy" with the decision.
"Nine witnesses came forward to say Charlo never hit his 21-year-old nephew," said Charlo's lawyer, Kent Schaffer. "Jermall is very happy. He can concentrate on preparing for his next fight now that this distraction has been removed."
Another Charlo -- Jermall's twin brother, Jermell Charlo -- is still facing legal troubles related to the case, however.
Boxer Jermell Charlo Charged W/ Making Terroristic Threat, Officials Seeking Arrest Warrant
Prosecutors tell us Jermell -- who was hit with a misdemeanor charge after he was accused of telling the alleged Jermall victim during the incident, "I will kill you with my bare hands" -- is still facing a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat.
He's due in court for a hearing on the matter later this month.
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Jake Paul Hey, Dana White ... Let's Put $5 Million On Silva Fight!!!
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Jake Paul says Dana White still owes him a million-dollar check for beating Ben Askren, but the Problem Child is once again proposing a friendly wager with the UFC honcho ... saying he's willing to put $5 MILLION on the line when he fights Anderson Silva.
Jake and Spider were holding a news conference in L.A. on Monday ahead of their October 29 bout in Arizona ... when Paul mentioned how his nemesis thought he'd never take on the challenge ahead of him.
"Dana White did not think I'd take this fight," Jake said minutes ago. "And Dana, I know you're watching, bro. You still owe me a million dollars from when you bet against me on Ben Askren."
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
"I want you to come out of hiding, stop being a bitch and make a bet against me and Anderson and actually pay up this time because you didn't think I would take this fight."
"So let's make a bet," he added. "Let's put a mil, let's put two mil, let's put 5 mil on it. But I bet you won't, Dana, because you're a bitch."
As for a bet between Jake and Anderson ... Spider says he hates tattoos, so a body ink bet is off the table. With that being said, Jake says he'll get clever and figure something out.
Don't expect Dana to respond to Jake's offer -- 'cause as he told TMZ Sports last week, he's sick of talking about the guy.
But, hey ... money talks, and if he really thinks Jake doesn't stand a chance on October 29, White may wanna consider the deal.
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Mike Tyson Suite Life With Robert Kraft ... At Patriots Game
Robert Kraft had a champion in his corner as New England kicked off its 2022 season ... with the Patriots owner hosting none other than Mike Tyson in his suite.
Iron Mike was on hand at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. ... where he watched as the Pats fell to the division rival Dolphins, 20-7.
Mike had a seat right next to Kraft, who was sitting next to his son, Jonathan, -- and the two appeared to be chummy throughout the game as the Pats and 'Fins duked it out on the field.
No word on what exactly led to the meetup ... but Mike and Kraft seemed to have a lot to talk about throughout the duration of the game.
The day didn't go without an awkward moment, though -- At one point, Tyson went to give Kraft a fist bump, who missed the cue, but the two managed to clean it up at the end.
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 11, 2022 @SharpFootball
RK has hosted several high-profile celebrities at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA -- but having the former knockout specialist as a guest is pretty hard to beat.
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Star Boxer Ryan Garcia I Bought My First Home!!! ... $3.1 Mil California Pad
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Ryan Garcia is officially a homeowner ... TMZ Sports has learned the star boxer has copped his first house -- an amazing, $3 million crib in Southern California.
The pad is located in Porter Ranch, roughly 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, and Garcia just sealed the deal on it this week.
The two-story property features 3,680 square feet and comes with five bedrooms and six bathrooms.
The outside has a luxury pool, spa, an outdoor fireplace ... and insane views of L.A.
There's a cool bonus, too ... it's fully designer furnished -- so the super lightweight boxer can move in ASAP.
Garcia's buyer's agent, Brandon Soufer of The Agency, was pumped about the deal ... saying on social media, "Congratulations to my brother @kingryan for purchasing his first home with me."
"I am honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of this big step in your life. Cheers to many more accomplishments together for us to celebrate. Love you my brother."
Garcia deserves to treat himself ... the 24-year-old just won in July after knocking out Javier Fortuna in 6 rounds and continues to add on Ws to his undefeated record (23-0).
Congrats, Ryan!
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Le'Veon Bell, Adrian Peterson Face Off At Weigh-In ... Ahead Of Boxing Match
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Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell came face-to-face for the final time ahead of their highly anticipated boxing match on Saturday ... and they look ready to brawl!!
Peterson and Bell, two current/former(?) NFL running backs, both weighed in for the Social Gloves 2 event in Los Angeles ... and locked eyes with one another before they go to war in the ring.
AP -- who was known for his bruising style as a running back -- displayed a great physique ... weighing in at 218 pounds according to the scale.
Adrian Peterson Flattens Opponent With Huge Right Hand In Sparring Sesh
Bell -- who was more known for his shiftiness coming out of the backfield -- hit the scale and appeared to be in awesome shape for a guy who ran for over 6,500 yards in his career.
LB weighed in at 204 pounds on the scale ... so he's conceding a 14-pound weight difference to Peterson when the two collide on Saturday.
But, the video of both future Hall of Fame running backs sparring this week has boxing fans encouraged that both men will deliver a good, solid fight.
The whole card kicks off at 6 PM PT ... and may the best man win!!
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Dana White Slams Jake Paul Vs. Anderson Silva ... 'Don't Care About That'
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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.
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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.
Despite the fact, White is done wasting his breath on Jakey P ... we're sure this rivalry isn't going anywhere any time soon.
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Adrian Peterson Bills, Rams & 49ers ... Call Me!!!
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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.
Le'Veon Bell, Adrian Peterson Show Off Hands At Boxing Workout In L.A.
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."
Adrian Peterson's HOF resume:
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) September 8, 2022 @PSO_Sports
- 7x Pro Bowl
- 4x All-Pro 1st Team, 3x 2nd Team
- 2012 NFL MVP
- 2012 NFL OPOY
- 2007 NFL OROY
- 3x NFL RUSH YDS leader
- 2x NFL RUSH TD leader
- 2010s NFL All-Decade
- #Vikings career RUSH YDS (11,747) & TD (97) leaderpic.twitter.com/VaGgGRZMOy
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.
Fight kicks off at 6 PM -- after that, is a flight to Buffalo or San Francisco on deck?? Stay tuned.
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Le'Veon Bell, Adrian Peterson Prep For Boxing Match In L.A. ... Check Out Our Hands!!!
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.
Both NFL stars have been complimentary of each other in the buildup to the fight ... but Saturday figures to be a different story when they finally get into the ring.
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Blueface Out Of Nick Young Fight ... Promoters Searching For Replacement
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3:39 PM PT -- Young tells TMZ Sports he's willing to fight whoever steps in the ring with him on Saturday ... including fellow ex-NBA baller Nate Robinson, who he said could use a reason to distance himself from the memes after getting knocked out by Jake Paul.
12:53 PM PT -- Young is speaking out on the bad news ... and since he won't be able to swing at Blueface in the ring, he's unloading one last verbal jab.
"He too busy getting his ass whoop (sic) outside the ring so who wanna take his place?" Young said on IG.
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 ...
Originally Published -- 12:02 PM PT
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Austin McBroom KOs Sparring Partner ... Violent Uppercut!!!
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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.
The card also features Le'Veon Bell vs. Adrian Peterson, Blueface vs. Nick Young and much more. Can't wait.
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Orlando Scandrick Bell Vs. Peterson?!? ... I'm Taking Adrian In The Celeb Boxing Match!!!
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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!"
Here, here.
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Nate Diaz Launching Own Fight Promotion ... Boxing, MMA, BJJ
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.
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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...'”
But, before Nate launches the new promotion ... he's headlining UFC 279 in Las Vegas on September 10 against Khamzat, arguably the most anticipated fight of the year.