Fights & Feuds

Vitor Belfort says he isn't only fighting ONE Hall of Famer in Oscar De La Hoya ... the combat sports star tells TMZ Sports he has also signed a deal to box Evander Holyfield later this year!!

We talked to the 44-year-old former UFC champ after Belfort was announced as 48-year-old De La Hoya's opponent in his boxing comeback (ODLH hasn't fought since losing to Manny Pacquiao in 2008).

Belfort -- who has a tremendous amount of respect for Oscar's career accomplishments -- tells us his September 11 fight on Triller will literally be one of the hottest fights of all time.

"I believe this fight with me and Oscar, this is the biggest fight ever."

So, why does Belfort believe it'll be such a big deal? He says he and Oscar paved the way for some of today's biggest stars.

"Oscar is legendary. Gold medals, one of the best pound-for-pound ever to live in the game. He revolutionary sport. If it wasn't for Oscar, would not be [Floyd] Mayweather."

Vitor continued ... "If it wasn't for Vitor Belfort, would not exist a Conor McGregor."

If you think VB is just messing around ... he isn't. Vitor doubled down ... saying his bout with De La Hoya will rival one of the most significant sporting events ever -- The Rumble in the Jungle.

"This fight will sell like Muhammad Ali and George Foreman."

Of course, Ali knocked out Big George in the 8th round of their historic 1974 boxing match.

And, get this, Vitor claims the bout with ODLH isn't a one-off ... 'cause he says he has a signed contract to box 58-year-old Evander Holyfield.

John Legend did more than put on a brave face to support his wife, Chrissy Teigen ... he smiled and claimed she's doing better than her lengthy apology for bullying made it seem.

The singer was out in WeHo Tuesday and seemed to be in great spirits. You can see him sporting a wide grin as he walked up to his car and was incredibly polite when a photog walked up to ask him about Chrissy's attempts to recover from the trolling scandal.

After exchanging some very quick pleasantries the pap got right to the point ... how's Chrissy doing? John had zero hesitation and answered with a smile ... she's doing great.

As we reported ... CT has apologized for her old ways of internet trolling. Chrissy insisted she's a changed woman ... and is trying to own up to her mistakes and become a better version of herself.

She issued a long apology and added she was reaching out privately to other people she insulted. She didn't name names but some have pointed out that Lindsay Lohan and Farrah Abraham were past targets of Teigen's trolling ... as was Courtney Stodden.

One of the peeps she may have to reach out to could be "Project Runway" star Michael Costello. As we reported ... Costello accused Teigen of getting him blacklisted after she mistakenly thought he posted something racist back in 2014.

1/2 of the most bizarre sports moment of the day is giving his side of the whole ordeal ... with Tyson Fury telling TMZ Sports Deontay Wilder was straight-up SHOOK during their 6-minute long faceoff on Tuesday.

The 2 boxing superstars just had their press conference in Los Angeles ahead of their July 24 bout ... and while the whole thing was pretty bonkers, the wildest moment had to be their insane faceoff.

There were barely any words exchanged, but the 2 men refused to look away from each other ... even when event organizers tried to get them to turn towards the camera.

Finally, Wilder -- who never took his headphones off or spoke a word throughout the entire event -- threw on his shades and bolted from the stage, leaving Fury all alone.

We spoke with the Gypsy King shortly after the lengthy faceoff ... and he tells us he was living rent-free in Wilder's head.

"Good faceoff and I felt like he was nervous and intense," Fury tells us. "He needed rescuing and he did get rescued. His coach coming in pulled him away just at the right time."

Of course, Fury won by 7th round TKO in February 2020 ... with their first fight ending in a split draw.

Since Deontay didn't hear anything during the presser, we asked Fury if he had a message for him ...  just in case the Bronze Bomber is watching.

"Train hard, Deontay, 'cause I'm gonna beat you down like I did last time!"

"Girl shut tf up!"

That's how Skylar Diggins-Smith responded to some shade Jazmine Jones threw her way this week ... and yeah, there's now some Grade-A beef going down in the WNBA!!!

The epic clapback from the Phoenix Mercury star went down Monday afternoon ... after she saw an IG comment Jones had left on one of her highlight videos.

Bleacher Report had posted footage of Diggins-Smith destroying NY Liberty rookie DiDi Richards during their game Sunday ... and Jones hated it, noting Diggins-Smith's squad still lost to the Liberty despite the highlight clip.

"Yeah but caught the L….." Jones wrote. "Hyping up the wrong stuff."

Jones went on to say the video should've featured her star teammate Betnijah Laney, who helped lead the Liberty over Diggins-Smith's Mercury squad, 85-83.

Diggins-Smith, though, was having NONE of the shade ... she responded by telling Jones to shut her mouth -- adding, "They can’t post a highlight?"

"Complain to your organization, first, why they only hype one person!"

Jones didn't take long to fire back, writing, "'Girl Shut tf up' is fighting words … so what’s really good."

Lamar Odom is a champion once again -- the ex-NBA superstar just KNOCKED OUT Aaron Carter in their Celebrity Boxing match!!!

Carter came out SWINGING ... hitting Odom with as many punches as his body could handle ... but it was clear from the jump -- Odom was in control.

The 6'10" Odom and 6'0" Carter duked it out for 2 rounds at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City ... but the Lakers champion was gonna have no issue handing the former pop star in the ring.

As we previously reported, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell told us he was gonna let the dudes fight ... and that's exactly what happened -- LO and AC were throwing punches left and right.

But, ultimately, Carter didn't have the same luck he had against Shaq ... 'cause it was Odom's hand that was raised at the end of the night.

Odom finished Carter in the second round ... but it was all love -- both guys hugged it out after Aaron went down midway through the second round.

The whole event was a party -- boxer Paulie Malignaggi, Ice-T and Coco were all on the mic to provide fun commentary ... and the other fights on the card provided were a bunch of fun, too!!

Odom told us before the fight ... he was planning to put Carter to sleep ... and while he didn't make that happen, he still came through with the dub.

Austin McBroom says his celeb fight with Bryce Hall ain't gonna last too long ... telling TMZ Sports he's guaranteeing a knockout within the first two rounds!!!

"He won't last past the first round," the YouTube star said of his TikTok rival. "He'd be lucky to get to the second round. If he gets to the second round, it'll end right there."

The two social media titans are finally set to throw down in Miami this weekend after months of trash talk ... and McBroom seemed as confident as ever Friday that he'd score the win.

In fact, Austin seemed downright concerned for Hall ... telling us he's worried he might legitimately HURT Bryce on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

"He's nervous," McBroom said of Hall. "He's a nervous one. He's out there getting jitters face-to-face. He was out there shaking a little bit."

"So, I just hope he's ready man. 'Cause in this sport, you can get seriously hurt. And, I would hate to hurt the kid."

As for Bryce, he insisted he ain't feeling any butterflies ahead of the big boxing match ... and told us he's actually received some key advice from Logan and Jake Paul about managing all that.

Oh, and he threw a fat jab McBroom's way.

Pro wrestling star Max Caster ... CAN RAP!!!

The AEW superstar -- who considers himself the greatest wrestler alive -- just dropped some very impressive bars ... all based on recent TMZ Sports stories and it's great!!

From LeBron James to Logan Paul ... even Buff Bagwell -- Caster wrapped up our week, by rapping up our week!

There's more ... Caster -- half of AEW's #2 ranked tag team The Acclaimed -- also talks about his wrestling future to the comparisons to John Cena.

UFC champ Francis Ngannou ain't ready to move on from a possible showdown with Jon Jones ... telling TMZ Sports that's the ONLY fight on his mind.

Ngannou was strolling through Beverly Hills this week when we asked about his fighting future ... considering the UFC and Jones seem to be miles (and millions of dollars) apart from making a deal.

In fact, Dana White has repeatedly said he's targeting Derrick Lewis for Ngannou's next opponent ... and hopes that fight will take place in the summer.

But, Ngannou says he's still got Jones on the brain when we asked who he wants to fight next -- "I want Jon Jones ... I love that fight."

In fact, seems Ngannou is still pretty hopeful the two sides can work out a deal -- and we're guessing every MMA fan out there is hoping he's right!

When we spoke with White a few weeks ago, he told us he's "absolutely moved on" from trying to make that fight ... and said he doesn't know if Jon will ever fight in the UFC ever again.

"That's up to Jon," White said ... "He could absolutely fight again at 205 lbs. He said he wouldn't fight [Stipe Miocic] and now Derrick and Francis are fighting so we'll see how that fight plays out."

If you thought Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier had bad blood ... you're right.

But, also, Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya CAN'T STAND EACH OTHER -- and Marvin tells TMZ Sports he can't wait to punch the guy in the face this weekend!

"There's nobody that I would like to beat up more and I get to do it Saturday night," the 27-year-old Italian tells us.

"At the end of the day, I'm happy, I get to beat his ass and get his belt."

The two are clashing at UFC 263 in Glendale, Arizona -- a rematch of their 2018 fight, which Adesanya won by split decision.

But, this time, there's more at stake -- Izzy is the reigning UFC middleweight champ ... and Marvin is OBSESSED with taking his belt.

"I'll stop him with punches," Marvin says ... "I'm coming to get the belt. Keep it tight for now because it's not gonna be long until I get it."

Marvin was also tapped for an endorsement deal with Dolce & Gabbana -- and says he's looking to make them proud on Saturday!

A Tennessee woman busted out some spray paint to cover up a rainbow on a bridge, because as she puts it ... "I'm sick of you all's s***."

The video speaks for itself -- the latest "Karen" was apparently upset that 2 teens painted a rainbow on the spot the community reportedly designates for people to express free speech ... and she made her point in a very bigoted way.

The lady drops the obligatory "I'm an American who works hard and pays taxes" spiel as her reason for painting over the rainbow, which the teens had put there to celebrate Pride Month.

If that wasn't enough, she expresses her disdain for what she feels is the teens' -- and apparently all gay people's -- desire to stand out and get attention, when she just wants them to shut up.

It's unclear exactly where this went down in Tennessee, but it's almost certain to add to the stigma of the name Karen ... which has plummeted in popularity over the past year thanks to incidents like this.

Kevin Durant is calling Jay Williams out for allegedly fabricating an entire story on national TV ... saying the whole thing is a "f***in' lie."

Here's the deal -- Williams recently shared an interaction he claims he had with KD at a holiday party a few years ago ... saying the Brooklyn Nets star confronted him over a comparison to Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Williams claims Durant was HEATED and said, "'Yo, don't you ever compare me to Giannis again! Don't you ever do that!"

Williams claimed he tried to explain the context behind the comments ... but KD wasn't having it.

"He's like, 'Nah, don't ever compare that dude to me, don't do it!'" Williams said on "Keyshawn, JWill and Zubin."

Naturally, the anecdote began to spread on social media like wildfire ... especially since the Nets and Bucks are currently duking it out in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

But, Durant is calling BS on the whole thing ... saying the incident never happened the way Williams made it out to be.

"This is a F***in lie," Durant said on IG Tuesday. "Jay Williams can NEVER speak for me, ever."

Williams has yet to respond ... but we're sure it's only a matter of time before he addresses the 2014 MVP's claims.

Chrissy Teigen has pulled out of an acting gig in the wake of criticism over past bullying.

Chrissy had planned on doing voiceovers for an upcoming Netflix show, "Never Have I Ever" Season 2 ... well according to Variety, she's decided to take a pass on the gig.

“Never Have I Ever” follows a teenage girl who's a first-generation Indian American and her days in high school.

Teigen has been on the hot seat for going after Courtney Stodden, who married a 60-year-old when they were just 16. Chrissy had sent them cruel DM's, including -- "I can't wait for you to die."

She has repeatedly apologized and said she was a different person then ... seeking attention in the wrong way. She has been off Twitter and Instagram for nearly a month.

For her part, Stodden hasn't been very forgiving, calling Chrissy a hypocrite when she bowed out of Twitter for a time because of the bullying.

It's an interesting saga ... Chrissy is well-liked and very popular. The question ... will that goodwill eventually put all this behind her?

"I think it's gonna be just a big s**t show."

Gotta appreciate the honesty from Andre Berto -- who tells TMZ Sports he doesn't exactly have high expectations for the big Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul fight on Sunday.

Look, Berto -- a very accomplished and well-respected boxer -- has actually been in the ring with Mayweather in 2015 ... and knows what's like to fight against the best in the world.

So, how does he feel about a YouTube star getting a crack at TBE?

"This s**t is more of an event [than a real fight] and I'm tired of people texting my phone asking me, 'Ay bro, who you think is gonna win, Logan or Floyd?' I wanna throw my phone at a f**king wall!"

Don't get it twisted, Berto actually LIKES the Paul Bros -- and clearly has professional respect for Mayweather ... but he thinks it's a circus.

So, does Logan have a chance?

"You always got a puncher's chance ... I mean this is boxing. Anything can happen but of course, I think Floyd has it, running away with it and I think it's gonna be a show."

Logan Paul sincerely believes he's going to beat Floyd Mayweather into submission -- predicting TBE will throw in the towel by the 6th round.

The 26-year-old says he's been training his ass off for the June 6th fight -- and has been visualizing how it will go.

"I've tried for over the past 8 months to put myself in the future and imagine how I would feel when the time came down to it and yeah, it's here. Another day at the office."

Get this ... Logan also says he REALLY thought someone from Floyd's camp would approach him with a massive bribe to throw the fight -- but he insists that never came to fruition.

"I was waiting for the guy in the black suit to approach me and be like 'Yo, we'll pay you $50 million dollars to throw this fight. We can't afford Floyd losing' ... but it never happened."

Logan says he wouldn't have taken a cent anyway -- "I don't even care about the money. I just wanna beat Floyd Mayweather."

As for his bro, Jake Paul -- who famously stole Floyd's baseball hat during a media event back in may -- Logan says he'll be at the fight, but he will NOT be one of the cornermen.

"Jake will not be in my corner but he will be at the fight. Banning him from the event is bad business ... so he'll be there."

Miles Teller brought a bunch of mementos from his vacation in Hawaii back to the mainland with him ... including a black eye.

The "Top Gun: Maverick" star was spotted Wednesday in Los Angeles walking around with a hat from a famous resort on Maui and a shiner ... from the punch to the face he took in a Maui restaurant.

Miles wasn't practicing aloha when a photog asked about the nasty incident he was involved in on Maui -- he was mum other than to say he's feeling alright ... despite the black eye.

TMZ broke the story ... Miles was dining at Monkeypod Kitchen on Maui when he was allegedly attacked in the restroom by a man who is married to a wedding planner with a history with Teller and his wife, Keleigh.

Russell and Lorrie Nielson claim Miles and Keleigh didn't pay the bill for their 2019 Maui wedding Lorrie claims she planned.

Turns out Casey Anthony's ex-BF -- the one at the center of her bar showdown -- is a police officer with West Palm PD, the same department that responded to her 911 call after the fight.

We just got the body cam from the West Palm PD officer who showed up at the bar, and it shows Casey spilling her guts about the sergeant she used to date. She tells the responding officer she wants to file an incident report because the woman -- identified as Thelma Moya -- verbally and physically assaulted her.

The cop asks Casey what exactly happened and Casey gives up the tea -- "We dated the same person for a couple of years. Malcolm Allison, who is one of your sergeants."

Casey added, "Whether they're together or not together, she got upset that he had texted me. I let her know that he had. And, she came inside and threw a drink at me."

Casey goes as far as telling the cop she can call Malcolm to confirm Moya's alleged past behavior, but later backtracks and says she doesn't want to get Malcolm involved. Too late?

The cop also asks why she hadn't filed a restraining order against Moya, and Casey claims she didn't have grounds to do so before ... but makes it sound like that might be her next move. Later, she said she won't, though.

TMZ broke the story ... the accused, but acquitted, child killer called cops out to O'Shea's Irish Pub in West Palm Beach after claiming an argument with an archnemesis turned ugly.