Fights & Feuds

Sage Northcutt is about to fight for the first time in 4 years, and the MMA star says it won't be a one-time deal -- he's back, and it's for good.

"I'm planning on being back. I have this fight set for May 5th, I got my eyes zoned in on this fight. But after this fight I'd like to be super active for ONE Championship. You know I like having fights and trying to put on a show."

27-year-old Northcutt will return to the cage early next month against Ahmen Mujtaba ... Sage's first fight since he lost to Cosmo Alexandre in May 2019. In the loss, SN's face was broken in 8 places, requiring nearly 10 hours of surgery.

Many fans doubted Sage, who is 11-3 as a pro, would ever fight again. But, he says he actually was supposed to return long ago, but COVID had other plans.

"As the 4 years went by, it's been longer than what I expected. I was planning on coming back, I actually had a fight set to come back a couple years after, just about 2 years ago I had a fight set to come back," Northcutt told us.

"You know how the world's been with COVID, shutting things down. I caught COVID as I had a fight scheduled, literally, a week before flying overseas, I caught COVID. That was unfortunate timing. But coming back, it's about time."

Come May 5, Sage believes he'll open the eyes of many MMA fans.

"For ONE Championship, I haven't really had the chance to show all the hard work that I've been putting in," Northcutt says, adding, "I've been training very hard. Training with a great team, great coaches, great fighters, so I'm looking forward to displaying stuff that I've been putting a lot of hard work into."

We also asked Sage what advice he'd offer Raul Rosas Jr. ... the 18-year-old who became the youngest fighter to sign with the promotion. Rosas Jr. recently lost his first fight. We asked Northcutt, who fought as a 19-year-old, what advice he'd offer the young man.

As for his upcoming fight ... it's less than 2 weeks away, and he's ready to roll.

Nate Diaz had a trouble-filled night Friday ... he first chucked a water bottle at reality star Chase DeMoor and then choked a young man into unconsciousness in separate confrontations.

The UFC legend kicked off his wild night by attending the Misfits Boxing 6 event in New Orleans to watch Chris Avila beat Paul Bamba in the main event.

While Diaz was enjoying the bout in the front row, he got into a heated argument with DeMoor, who was seated behind him. Video shows DeMoor heckling Diaz and calling him a "p****." Diaz then pitched the water bottle at DeMoor, and the two would have come to blows if onlookers hadn't stepped between them.

Hours later, Diaz was filmed getting into a physical altercation with a young man on the sidewalk outside the venue. Nate put the guy in a choke hold until his body went limp and he fell to the ground unconscious. Diaz then casually walked away.

The extent of the man's injuries was unknown, nor was it clear if he was taken to a hospital. It’s also unclear if police got involved.

Video of the assault has since gone viral. UFC boss Dana White and former UFC champ Conor McGregor reacted on social media to the video. White suggested the man attacked by Diaz could be pro boxer Jake Paul's brother, Logan (It wasn't, though). McGregor laughed and praised Diaz for his "rampage."

Coi Leray isn't cool with Latto using her name in a punchline attack in her supposed Nicki Minaj war -- and defended her honor in an onslaught of tweets.

On Friday, Latto dropped her new track "Put It On Da Floor" -- the same song she premiered at Coachella last weekend where fans assumed she was dissing Nicki.

Latto put Coi in the crosshairs with the lyrics, "Smokin' on that gas, blunt big as Coi Leray/Bitches like to run their mouths but I'm the type to run the fade" ... a low-blow according to Coi, as she's constantly fending off body-shamers online.

Coi thinks Latto truly used her name because she's secretly jealous of Coi's body, and remarked the "Big Energy" rapper has no place to be a body judge towards anybody, for whatever reason.

She also shed light on the ongoing narrative that female rappers have taken on masculine roles, including their lust for rap beef. Coi says she doesn't know the rap chicks in real life and they should keep their negativity out of her general direction.

Latto seemingly geared up for a rap battle against Nicki Minaj while performing at Coachella, but Akademiks says the "Big Energy" rapper doesn't have the bars to win the war!!!

Ak gave his honest assessment of Latto's potential timeline for engaging Nicki in a rap beef, and thinks Latto would be better suited pushing her career away from this saga.

As the more experienced MC, Ak notes Nicki's bars will come off as more clever and fans will gravitate to everything she says. In other words, disses about ass shots will only fly so far.

He also doubted Latto and Nicki would ever cross paths to exchange words in person ... à la Cardi B and Nicki's near-brawl during 2018 New York Fashion Week.

Ak thinks Latto's only chance to best Nicki is to recruit other female rappers who've had their own personal problems with "The Pinkprint" rapper -- like Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat -- and shame her with low blows about aging and being a big ol' hater!!!

Latto seems to have no problem picking at the scab covering her Nicki Minaj beef ... and debuted a new song at Coachella that has fans thinking she once again is firing at her!!!

The "Big Energy" rapper provided exactly that Sunday when she premiered a new track on the Sahara stage ... rapping ether like, “Bitches acting like they running shit, they really ran through” and “She thought I would kiss her ass, she mustn’t have took her meds.”

The biggest clues the song was about Nicki came during Latto's song-ending ad-libs ... "Say she got a problem, imaginary smoke/ Bitch, you said it’s up, then put on the floor”

She then walked off the stage yelling, “Pussy hoe… Let a bitch know, we tired of the subtweets this year” ... as she and Nicki's very public Twitter spat is still heavy fodder for her fans as well as the Barbz.

The two fell out after the 2022 Grammy Award noms were released -- where Nicki's "Super Freaky Girl" was absent while Latto's "Big Energy" record made the cut.

From there, an all-out war ensued, complete with leaked phone calls sparking a rift that still hasn't been resolved.

Russell Westbrook got into a heated confrontation with a fan Sunday night ... and, at one point, told the man, "Watch your mouth, motherf***er," and it was all captured on video.

It all went down during game 1 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix ... Russ, on video, repeatedly told the guy wearing Suns gear to watch his mouth as the two exchanged words.

It's unclear what led to the encounter ... but it happened in the club area during halftime of Game 1 of the Clippers-Suns first-round matchup.

According to a Suns insider, visiting players have been going through the club area where the incident occurred all season to get to the visitor's locker room.

As for the game ... Westbrook struggled to hit shots all night, scoring just nine points on 3 of 19 shooting from the field.

However, the former MVP was a presence on the glass, securing ten rebounds and making the game's defensive play, blocking Devin Booker's shot and sealing the deal for the Clippers.

Mike Tyson isn't 100 percent done with boxing ... the former heavyweight champ -- who last fought Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 -- tells TMZ Sports he's still open to fighting again if the price is right.

We spoke with the boxing legend this month about a potential rematch with Jones Jr. -- who just lost to former UFC star Anthony Pettis on April 1 -- and he didn't close the door on a return to the ring against the Hall of Famer at all.

In fact, the 56-year-old told us, "I could be persuaded."

Then, when we asked about another possible rematch, one that would pit him against his former rival, Evander Holyfield -- Tyson said the same thing.

Iron Mike wouldn't reveal the dollar figure that it would take to persuade him to agree to future bouts with the boxing legends ... though he did say he has been recently approached by people in Saudi Arabia who want "me to do this stuff too."

"I don't know," he said ... before adding, "When I see the money people for the end of the product, my mind works clearer. I can't express myself right now financially."

Tyson fought Jones Jr. in a wildly successful exhibition match back in 2020. He also fought Holyfield twice in two memorable tilts in 1996 and 1997, but lost both bouts.

Tyson had previously agreed to an exhibition match with Holyfield in 2021, but negotiations fell through.

WrestleMania 39 is over ... but Dolph Ziggler is already eyeing a spot on next year's card, telling TMZ Sports he's down to fight UFC star Conor McGregor on "The Grandest Stage of Them All" at WrestleMania.

We spoke to Dolph -- whose last WrestleMania match was in 2020 against Otis -- out in Beverly Hills recently ... and the former WWE Intercontinental Champion is already imagining what a feud with McGregor looks like on the heels of the WWE and UFC merger.

"Why not make it a best of 3?" Ziggler asked. "Octagon. Boxing match. Wrestling. Fighting. WWE. And then set it all up for the best out of seven at WrestleMania."

"That's just where the money is, but not everybody can go and back it up. But some of us can," said Ziggler, the 2012 men's Money in the Bank ladder match winner.

ICYMI -- McGregor posted a pic of him holding a WWE and UFC championship belt with the hashtag, "It's inevitable," one day before WWE sold to UFC's parent company, Endeavor.

After Vince McMahon announced he sold WWE and joined forces with UFC to create a new $21 billion sports company ... Ziggler wasted no time going after The Notorious.

"ABSOLUTELY AMAZING #WrestleMania PS: If I can drop 45 more pounds, I can drop anyone talking trash! seems even easier to get the deal done now, right @TheNotoriousMMA," Ziggler tweeted.

So, will we see Ziggler vs. McGregor at WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia next April?!?

Rudy Gobert says he apologized to his teammate, Kyle Anderson, for punching him earlier in the week during Minnesota's final game of the regular season  ... and says he has nothing but love for Kyle.

Gobert rejoined his team Thursday after the Timberwolves sent him home from the arena and suspended him for one game ... and Rudy told the media he and Anderson are both putting Sunday's incident behind them.

"We both apologized to each other, and you move on," Gobert said. "I still love Kyle. He's still my brother. I tell people, 'Sometimes you fight with your family. Sometimes you fight with people that you have a lot of love and respect for.'"

He continued ... "It's life. No one is perfect. Mistakes happen, and then you grow, and you move on."

Anderson echoed similar sentiments as Gobert did on Tuesday ... saying the two "hashed it out" and reminded people that grown men fighting "happens all the time in sports."

"We're teammates at the end of the day," Anderson said. "I don't want it to be a Kyle vs. Rudy thing. That's never the case. I always got my teammates' back, and we moved on."

Meanwhile, Gobert's status for Friday's elimination game against the Thunder remains uncertain as the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award winner deals with lingering back pain.

Jorge Masvidal says he ain't getting a fair shake in his aggravated battery case ... claiming in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, that Colby Covington received preferential treatment from cops during their altercation in Miami last year.

In the docs, Masvidal says he has evidence that on several occasions during their confrontation on March 21, 2022, outside of a popular restaurant ... Covington was treated with "favoritism" by the Miami Beach Police Department.

Specifically, Masvidal says after the alleged attack ... Covington did not call 911 -- but instead phoned a high-ranking MBPD sergeant who was the UFC star's "pal and training partner ... so he could receive concierge police intervention."

Masvidal claims after Covington called the sergeant, the officer then radioed the matter into the station as a "Code 3" -- which, according to Masvidal, is "reserved for shooting and active dangerous felonies." Masvidal also says the sergeant "made additional calls to individual officers to 'get over immediately' to the scene" -- while also diverting "over 20 officers from their duties and responsibilities" to make sure they got Covington help.

In addition, Masvidal says Covington made a statement during a podcast interview prior to the street encounter that he "rolls with the Miami Beach Police Department" -- which Masvidal claims further proves he may have gotten special treatment on the night of the alleged attack.

Masvidal's attorney, Bradford Cohen, now wants several things -- including Covington's podcast comment -- to be admitted into evidence for the UFC fighter's impending trial in the case ... believing it will help prove his client is getting a raw deal.

"From our investigation and witness depositions it's clear that protocol was not followed that evening and Mr. Covington received preferential treatment," Cohen said in a statement this week. "Sadly, the people of Miami Beach that needed an officer that night, at that time probably suffered due to over 15 officers responding to a misdemeanor offense."

We've reached out to the Miami Beach Police Department for comment -- but so far no word back yet.

As we previously reported, Masvidal is facing serious jail time in the case after he was hit with charges of felony aggravated battery and felony criminal mischief following allegations that he punched Covington twice in an ambush outside of Papi Steak.

Meanwhile, Covington -- who claims to have suffered a brain injury, a chipped tooth, and a damaged Rolex watch in the attack -- appears to have recovered from the altercation ... as he's been rumored to be the next opponent for UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

The March altercation between Jake Paul and Floyd Mayweather might have been a little more stressful than it initially appeared ... because new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows a cop actually had to rush Paul to safety amid the chaotic confrontation.

The dustup went down outside of the Kaseya Center in Miami following the Heat vs. Cavaliers game on March 8 ... and in the new footage, you can see police seemed to be very concerned a real fight could break out between Paul, Mayweather and their entourages.

The video shows Floyd approached Paul first in the street near the arena ... before getting into a verbal spat with the social media star and his friends.

As the guys were arguing, an officer on the scene called for backup -- saying there could be "a fight" with "a couple celebrities." Seconds later, Jake can be seen in the footage taking off.

That's when the video shows a Miami Police Dept. officer racing toward Paul to make sure he was safe.

The cop can be seen in the footage ushering the 26-year-old back inside the NBA arena -- making sure no one followed. As he was taking Paul for cover, the YouTuber-turned-boxer told the cop, "They're trying to jump me."

For several minutes, the cop guarded the door as Paul and his team waited inside the building for a car to take them away from the area.

You can hear in the footage they believed Floyd had around 50 people with him.

Eventually, Paul made it out of the area without further issue.

Jake later took to social media to blast Floyd for running up on him with a bunch of his guards and his friends. Floyd's jeweler, meanwhile, told TMZ Sports later in March that Paul was "exaggerating" about the whole situation.

Canelo Alvarez may have an upcoming fight with John Ryder, but the Mexican boxing legend has his eyes set on Dmitry Bivol, telling TMZ Sports he wants to avenge his 2022 loss to the undefeated fighter!

Remember, Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) handed Canelo the 2nd career loss of his future Hall of Fame career by unanimous decision last May ... the only boxer to beat Alvarez outside Floyd Mayweather, whom the Mexican superstar fought at only age 23.

Alvarez, who went up to 175 lbs. to fight the 6-foot-tall boxer, clearly hasn't forgotten about the L ... and recently told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs on FS1) that he wants a rematch after his upcoming May 6 scrap with John Ryder.

"Everybody knows I want that rematch with Bivol," Alvarez said. "That's my goal this year."

"We'll see but that's my goal this year."

Now, just because Canelo's thinkin' ahead doesn't mean he's not taking Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) seriously, nor is he considering it an "easy fight."

In fact, it's just the opposite ... Alvarez hears everyone saying he'll run through Ryder, but that's not how he's thinking.

"They said the same thing about Bivol -- it was an 'easy fight' and you saw what happened, right," Alvarez said. "Any fight is dangerous. You never know in boxing."

The Ryder fight is a special one for the sport's top pound-for-pound fighter 'cause it's happening in his backyard of Guadalajara ... and it's the first time he's boxed in Mexico in nearly 12 years.

"After all I've been doing in boxing, I think it's very special for me. This fight is very special for me to bring my people the same experience as me."

"I come to my hometown as the best fighter, not almost retired and everything. I'm coming from being the best and that's special for the people, too."

An all-out brawl erupted outside a Texas nightclub in a scene that sort of looked like a WWE Royal Rumble ... and most of it was caught on video.

Footage of the wild fight shows a group of mostly scantily clad women going at it in a San Antonio parking lot near Privat Social Club. Of course, there were many observers watching and recording the lunacy with their cell phones.

The video opened with a young woman grabbing another female by her hair and whipping her to the ground. The two wrestled on the asphalt while throwing punches at one another.

Then a security guard picked up a third woman and body-slammed her to the ground, causing her cash to go flying into the air.

Back to the first two women. One pulverized the other with her fists until, finally, someone stepped in and broke it up.

Two more women were featured kicking each other's butts with one dragging the other around the parking lot.

Security guards managed to get the situation under control before anyone got seriously hurt.

San Antonio Police arrived on scene after everything had calmed down. Cops said the fight originally started between a woman and a security guard for unknown reasons. The guard maced the woman, who then left the location as hell broke loose.

A high school student in Texas punched his teacher square in the face ... a frightening encounter captured on video.

The violent outburst happened at Lamar High School in Houston, where footage shows a student arguing with a male teacher who had, apparently, taken the kid's phone for some reason -- then suddenly the student threw a haymaker.

They were face-to-face when the teen reached back and uncorked a right hook, landing flush on the teacher's jaw. Shocked onlookers screamed as the student threw more punches, and the video abruptly cuts off.

Students are sharing the video all over social media, and parents with kids at the school are obviously outraged.

The school's principal reportedly sent a note to parents saying the school does not condone or tolerate this type of behavior. The principal says, "Administrators will be looking into the cause of the altercation and continue to evaluate ways to prevent these occurrences in the future."

The teacher hasn't been identified by name and hasn't publicly commented about the incident.

It's another example of the increase in student violence against teachers in schools across the country ... a subject we dove into on "TMZ Live" with Lt. Rudy Perez, the head of the National Association of Resource Officers.

Jorge Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards is the fight fans badly want ... and while they're almost certainly not gonna get it next, Dana White says it's closer than you might think.

The UFC honcho joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... when we asked Dana whether Gamebred could do enough to jump Colby Covington and earn the next title shot.

"Let me tell you what's going to happen, if [Masvidal] goes in and does that against a guy like Gilbert Burns, who I have a ton of respect for, Gilbert Burns is an absolute badass. Then you have Colby Covington vs. Leon Edwards, and if Leon Edwards beats Colby Covington, the history between Leon Edwards and Masvidal, then they both win these fights, that fight will be so huge people will be dying to see that fight."

White then added ... "it will be absolutely massive, and maybe we do it back in Miami."

FYI, Masvidal told us earlier in the week he felt he could impress enough vs. Burns at UFC 287 to garner the Edwards scrap.

Of course, White declared Covington next in line after Rocky beat Kamaru Usman at UFC 286, but many fans want Jorge and Leon to scrap because the men have serious beef.

The two fighters were involved in a backstage altercation in 2019 after Edwards yelled something at Masvidal as he was being interviewed backstage after beating Darren Till.

It's not Masvidal's personality to take something like that lying down ... so he walked up to Rocky and punched him in the face, now known as a "3-piece and a soda."

Hoping to ruin Jorge-Leon is 36-year-old Burns ... the number 5 ranked UFC welterweight.

We recently talked to Burns, coming off a dominating win over Neil Magny, before he headed out for fight week ...

There's a bunch more with Dana ... we asked him if this was Israel Adesanya's last shot to beat his rival, Alex Pereira. We also talked to White about the new UFC-WWE deal ... and whether we could now see stars like Conor McGregor cross over to professional wrestling.

Jorge Masvidal apparently doesn't want to wait 'til Saturday night to fight ... 'cause he nearly came to blows with someone on the streets of Miami on Friday morning.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the UFC star outside of the UFC 287 weigh-ins at the event's host hotel ... and you can see in the footage, he was clearly enraged at someone.

It's unclear exactly who the 38-year-old was quarreling with -- but one witness tells us the person yelled at Masvidal, "You're a clown."

The video shows Masvidal repeatedly trying to go after his heckler ... although he was constantly held back from exploding on the person. He eventually walked away from the scene before things got physical.

Masvidal tipped the scales at 171 pounds at the Friday morning weigh-in in preparation for his Saturday fight with Gilbert Burns. It's not known yet if this video was taken before or after the ceremonies.

Of course, this is not the first altercation Masvidal has been involved in this week in the leadup to the Burns fight ... he and Kevin Holland got into a heated spat on Wednesday at the UFC 287 host hotel as well.