Fights

Tekashi 6ix9ine might've faced an even more brutal beatdown if it weren't for the quick-thinking gym staff that rushed in to get him to safety after he was ambushed in a sauna.

It's a bummer for 69 ... especially since our sources say he'd actually frequented this gym quite a bit in the past without any issues. We're told he's normally in there for about 20 minutes, and sticks to the StairMaster ... minding his business.

Our sources tell us if Tekashi is ever approached or recognized, most of the interactions are peaceful ... and he's usually accommodating and willing to pose with fans. Of course, he's clearly got enemies out there -- no doubt still lingering from the infamous RICO case.

Belal Muhammad adamantly believes he, NOT Colby Covington, is the fighter most deserving of a title shot vs. Leon Edwards ... and the UFC star says he's willing to prove it in The Octagon!

"I would love to punch Colby in the face. I would love to go out there, let's do it. You think you're the best in the world? You think you're the number one contender, come and get it from me. I'm the rightful number one contender, who the world thinks is the number one contender," 34-year-old Belal told TMZ Sports.

Of course, Dana White wasted no time tapping 35-year-old Covington, the #2-ranked welterweight, as Edwards' next opponent during his post-UFC 286 media session, saying "[Colby] deserves the fight."

The revelation was met almost immediately with outrage from Covington's critics, who point out he's just 2-2 over his last four fights, including two losses to Kamaru.

Meanwhile, Muhammad, ranked fourth in the division, hasn't lost since facing Geoff Neal in January 2019. Throwing out a no contest against a pre-champion Edwards after an inadvertent eye poke, Belal's riding an eight-fight win streak.

During the run, BM beat Demian Maia, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, Vicente Luque, and then-undefeated rising star, Sean Brady, who Muhammad handed his first pro loss.

FYI, Usman is the #1 ranked WW, but obviously isn't getting an immediate rematch. After Colby comes Khamzat Chimaev, the #3 ranked WW. Then Belal. The rankings then go ... Gilbert Burns at five, and Shavkat Rakhmonov at six (more on him in a moment).

Belal believes the work he's done in the cage should warrant him the opportunity to fight for the championship.

"Bro, I don't think there's nobody that doesn't think that I actually deserve, like if they truly look in their hearts, and if they have an IQ, they'll know that I'm the true number one contender.  I'm the true guy that's earned it."

Muhammad continued ... "I put the work in. I put the time in. I fought every single person they put in front of me. I fought backward my last one when I didn't want to, and they forced me to, and I still beat this undefeated kid [Brady], and it was by finish. To get a finish like that, I figured it was 100% gonna happen."

Then, it came as no surprise when we asked Belal about Shavkat's impressive win over Geoff Neal at UFC 285 ... and while he was very complimentary of the Kazakh fighter, he made it clear he's not looking to fight a guy below him in the rankings.

"Why am I gonna have to fight downward again to fight another hot prospect? It really doesn't make any sense. Why am I the only guy fighting backward when there's guys ahead of me that aren't fighting at all?"

The men allegedly involved in the brutal beatdown of Tekashi 6ix9ine appeared to have had a plan in place to get to the rapper ... as evidenced in new surveillance footage from the gym.

Check out the video, obtained by TMZ, showing one man already inside the South FL LA Fitness location chatting on his cell phone. The man approaches the front door of the gym to let another man in, and after a brief convo with the front desk employee, they beeline it to the gym's restroom and sauna area joined by a third man.

It certainly looks like the two men were in on some sort of plan ... but it's still unclear if they knew Tekashi was going to be at the gym all along, or if one man possibly saw 6ix9ine and called his buddy to help.

TMZ broke the story, Tekashi was rushed to a hospital Tuesday night after the attack, suffering from injuries to his face, back, ribs and jaw. Sources close to Tekashi tell us he's still receiving treatment in the hospital.

Video from inside the gym's sauna area shows a group of men punching, kicking and cussing out the rapper for being a snitch.

Tekashi 6ix9ine was savagely beaten by a group of men inside a South Florida gym ... with injuries so bad the controversial rapper was rushed to a hospital by ambulance.

6ix9ine's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... the rapper was inside the sauna Tuesday at an LA Fitness when all of the sudden he was attacked by several guys without warning.

Lazzaro says 6ix9ine tried to fight off the combatants, but there were too many of them, beating him to a pulp before fleeing. Lance notes 6ix9ine did not have security with him at the time of the attack.

Gym staff heard the commotion and immediately notified a manager. Police and EMS were then called to the scene, and he was transported to a hospital by ambulance.

We've obtained a photo of Tekashi taken from the hospital where you can see the damage to his face -- with gashes and swelling. We're told he also suffered injuries to his jaw, ribs and his back.

The next step, Lazzaro says, is he plans to call the Feds to make sure 6ix9ine gets the protection he clearly needs. Remember, he was granted early release from federal prison after cooperating with authorities to land several of his gang member cohorts behind bars.

It's currently unclear if the gym attack had anything to do with Tekashi's cooperation.

Conor McGregor sure appears ready for a fight later this summer ... he just posted a shirtless selfie showing off his bod -- and he looks GOOOOOOD!!!!

The UFC superstar shared the pic from his bathroom on his social media page late Tuesday night -- wearing nothing but a towel.

In the snap, which seemed to be taken just after he had gotten out of the shower, McGregor showed off some massive biceps, huge traps, and chiseled pecs.

The 34-year-old knew he looked good too ... 'cause in true McGregor fashion, he dropped a hilarious caption with the pic.

"I smell so good," he wrote, "you moan a little if I hug you."

Conor hasn't fought since he suffered a gruesome broken leg in his fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 -- but he's clearly been keeping himself in shape regardless of no planned matches the past two years.

McGregor is expected to scrap with Michael Chandler at some point in the next few months, though -- and he wrote on his Twitter page Tuesday he's actually going to be commencing fight camp in Big Bear "shortly."

Nick Lachey has been ordered to attend anger management and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after going off on a paparazzo in Los Angeles ... TMZ has confirmed.

Nick flew off the handle last year after spotting a woman who was filming his wife and himself after a night out a Mastro's in Bev Hills. Nick was enraged and caught on camera reaching for the woman's phone.

The L.A. County D.A. tells TMZ ... Lachey was never charged with a crime ... instead, the D.A. has a diversion program where someone can avoid prosecution ... in Nick's case, he won't be charged with assault and battery if he attends AA and anger management.

The woman, Jody Santos, spoke to Daily Mail about the incident, saying, "He's had plenty of time to apologize, but instead he just figured I would go away. What he did was wrong. Attempting to bust his fist through my car window when all I was doing was taking photographs of him. He should have been thanking me for the free publicity. I mean, really. Talk about an oversized ego."

UFC fighter Jeff Molina is opening up on his sexuality after a video showing him performing a sex act on another man was leaked to social media this week ... saying he was stripped of the opportunity to announce he is bisexual the way he wanted.

The 25-year-old shared an emotional statement to Twitter on Friday ... saying, "Not the way I wanted to do this but the chance to do it when I was ready was taken from me."

"I've tried to keep my dating life private from social media," Molina continued. "I've dated girls my whole life and suppressed feelings I had throughout high school being on the wrestling team, throughout college pursuing MMA, and even after making part of the dream happen and getting into the UFC."

"The thought of my buddies, teammates and ppl I look up to looking at me different let alone treating me different for something I can't control was something I couldn't fathom."

Molina -- 11-2 so far in his career and 3-0 in UFC -- has previously shown support for the LGBTQ+ community ... wearing the Pride Month shorts for his fight in June 2022.

Molina -- who's currently suspended for his alleged role in a betting scheme -- said he was not planning to come out during his career ... adding he wanted to be known for his skills rather than being the "'bi UFC fighter' that I'm sure would just be translated to 'gay UFC fighter.'"

Molina's announcement makes him the first openly LGBTQ+ male member of the UFC.

"At the end of the day I know my character, morals, and who I am as a person. As much as I'm getting hated/s****** on I'm getting an equal amount of support & it means a f*** ton."

If the MMA awards ever add a "best son" category, just give the damn trophy to Derek Brunson ... the UFC star just bought his mom a new car!

39-year-old Brunson, the 8th ranked UFC middleweight in the world, surprised his mom with a brand-spankin' new 2023 car ... and it's pretty awesome.

"Got Mom a 2023 Nissan Sentra one of my. Best purchase so far. We’re almost even from changing my stinky diapers 😂❤️" DB wrote on social media.

Of course, Brunson's been in Dana White's organization since 2012. In his first UFC fight, Derek beat Chris Leben by unanimous decision.

Brunson's long been one of the ten best 185 lb. fighters in the promotion ... and has wins over beasts like Darren Till, Kevin Holland, Edmen Shahbazyan, and Lyota Machida, amongst many others.

Derek lost his last scrap at UFC 285 against Dricus Du Plessis ... and there's talk it could've been his last time in the Octagon.

It's actually not the first time Derek's bought mom a new whip. Back in 2020, he talked about the sacrifices his mother made for him, and explained why he made the big purchase for her.

"In 2004 my mom went into her bank account she worked super hard for and purchased my first car. 2020 I went in my bank account I worked super hard for and purchased her a car. Life is such a cycle. Take care of those who take care of you! ❤️"

Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones ain't happening (at least no time soon), but there's another megafight seemingly on the horizon ... The Predator tells us he's currently discussing a two-fight deal with former heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder!

TMZ Sports talked to 36-year-old Ngannou -- a combat sports free agent after parting ways with the UFC in January -- and now the question is who does Francis fight, in what discipline, and where does it go down.

It's looking more and more like the answer to those questions are 37-year-old Wilder, boxing, and in Africa.

"We are looking into [Deontay Wilder] because he's available. He's ready for that. He's very excited about [a fight with me]. He wants it. So, we are looking into that. That's something I'm very excited about. We even discussed a potential one fight in Africa and one fight somewhere else. Why not even the two fights in Africa?", Francis told us.

Of course, Ngannou and Wilder are arguably the hardest/biggest punchers in all of combat sports.

12 of Francis' 17 wins came by knockout ... and his KO of Alistair Overeem may be the most brutal punch in recent UFC memory.

As for the Bronze Bomber, all but one of his 43 victories came by knockout.

Both guys clearly have the power to end the fight with a single shot ... but Francis tells us it's about more than simply throwing big power punches, and hoping one connects.

"I can knock everybody out. I have to be clear about something. To hit that person you have to get a clear shot which is more about technique and experience I don't have. So, I'm very aware of that aspect," Ngannou says.

"It's not like 'hit me, I hit you, and then we see who goes down.' It's a combat sport. Everybody trying not to get hit. I'm thinking more about the technique or the boxing side of it. The beauty of it. Then at the end, if you get an opportunity to connect then good. If not, I'm still expecting to win that fight in the decision so that's how I'm preparing myself."

There's much more ... we also talked to Francis about Jon Jones calling him a "big ole p***y," the possibility of signing to Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, and Dana White telling us he believes Ngannou would've been easily handled just like Ciryl Gane was at UFC 285.

Marcus Smart's on-court scuffle with Trae Young is gonna cost him ... 'cause the NBA just fined the Boston Celtics player $25K as a result of the altercation.

The two guards got into it with 1:25 left in the game at State Farm Arena on Saturday ... when Young drove to the basket and got fouled by Smart.

It appeared Young may have accidentally kicked Smart in the groin during the play -- and Smart didn't like it one bit.

After the whistle was blown, Smart got into Young's face ... and the two exchanged some heated words.

That's when Smart and Young took their beef to the hardwood ... as Smart pulled the Hawks guard down with him as he fell to the floor.

Both players' teammates and referees broke them up ... and Smart was ejected from the game, while Young received a technical.

On Monday, an NBA executive announced that Smart -- the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year -- was fined $25K for "initiating an on-court alteration and pulling" Young to the floor.

As for Trae ... it seems he got away with just a tech.

WWE star Ridge Holland -- who inadvertently broke Big E's neck during a match last year -- says he's received death threats and been called "racist" ... one year after the tragic incident occurred.

Remember, Holland and Big E were fighting on SmackDown last March ... when E's neck was broken after a belly-to-belly suplex went wrong. The WWE Superstar later said doctors told him the injury could've killed him.

Big E has been out of ring action ever since ... and fans appear to be pissed at Ridge over the injury to the former WWE champ.

"Death threats. Threats to my family. Lobbying for me to lose my job. Being labeled as racist. Great stuff keep ‘em coming," Holland tweeted.

TMZ Sports recently spoke with E -- who's been sidelined as he rehabs his neck injury -- and he told us he doesn't know if he'll ever compete in a ring again, adding I "want to make the best decision" on his future with the company.

"I gotta see what the scans say," E said. "Talk to doctors, and then go from there." "Right now, before I know anything, I'm not going to make any rush to judgments or anything. See how everything looks."

Ryan Garcia tells TMZ Sports Jake Paul would probably get "beat up" by Floyd Mayweather if the two ever got in the ring ... but he did put at least some respect on the YouTuber-turned-boxer's game -- saying he believes the tilt would at least go the distance.

A potential Paul vs. Mayweather fight appears to be in the works ... after the guys got into a heated back-and-forth outside of the Miami Heat game on Wednesday night.

So, when we got Garcia out promoting his upcoming match with Gervonta Davis out in LA this week -- we had to ask ... who'd win if the fight went down?

Garcia made it clear that despite his friendship with Jake, his money is on Floyd ... "but, guess what," he said, "Jake won't get knocked out."

His explanation for why was simple ... Mayweather couldn't KO Jake's big bro, Logan, in their exhibition match back in June 2021 -- and he obviously believes Jake's a better fighter.

As for the meetup in the streets this week ... Garcia called out Floyd for it all, saying it wasn't "right" to confront Paul with a huge entourage.

But, Garcia told us he isn't too worried about that matchup ... saying his focus is solely on Davis -- who he'll take on next month after years of smack talk.

"I don't think fans wanna tune in to see me wrestle. They damn sure don't tune in to see me do Brazilian jiu-jitsu. So, why not cut the fat and get right to the meat and potatoes."

That's former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez, 39 -- one of the greatest lightweight mixed martial artists in history -- on why he's decided to leave MMA for bare knuckle boxing.

Alvarez recently inked a deal with BKFC ... and will fight 37-year-old fellow former UFC star Chad Mendes on April 29.

The men have over 60 pro MMA fights combined (Eddie has 40), but Alvarez points out the sports are considerably different, including the fact that cuts are very prevalent.

"There's a lot of little subtleties that I learned when I went to the event myself. Usually you get cut about a minute or two into the fight, typically there's a cut that goes on and you have to learn and you gotta learn to fight with that," Eddie says.

And, cuts are a serious factor, according to Alvarez, who says seeing one's own blood can screw with a fighter's head.

"Some guys could be world champs, undefeated. Never seen their own blood and when they do, you get to see the bitch in them real quick. You need to see your own blood a few times," Eddie tells us, adding, "I'm very familiar with my own blood. I know what it tastes like, smells like, and oftentimes I don't feel like I'm in a fight until I'm cut."

The Underground King says there are more differences between the sport.

"There's even smaller margin for error. And it's a sprint, not a marathon. You need to be ready when that bell rings. There's no feeling out process."

Eddie and Chad aren't the only combat sports stars on the card. Former UFC champ Luke Rockhold is also boxing former UFC star "Platinum" Mike Perry the same night, and we spoke to the 38-year-old fighter.

"It's different, it's intriguing, and it's f****** scary. F****** crazy shit. I'm a f****** crazy man."

Aside from being a great fighter, Rockhold's also a model (he was previously the face of a Polo Ralph Lauren advertising campaign), so we asked him he if was concerned about his moneymaker getting damaged (see Eddie's comments above about the cuts).

"Do I seem like I'm worried about my face?" Luke joked, adding ... "Mike Perry should be worried about his face cause I plan on putting it right on his f****** nose!"

"I wanna make that nose a little more crooked."

A New Hampshire state legislator is facing criminal charges after he lost his s*** and assaulted a snowplow driver for not doing his job ... or at least that's what he claimed.

Jeffrey Greeson (R-Wentworth) was busted Friday by NH State Police and charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing and simple assault. He posed for a grim-faced mug shot before being released without bail.

Greeson's arrest stemmed from a March 4 incident in which he accosted Wentworth Highway Department employee Paul Manson, who was plowing snow outside the state rep's home after a major storm.

Check out this wild video showing Greeson blowing his top as he struggled to walk through knee-high snow to confront Manson on the street.

Referencing the snow, Greeson screamed, "You don't put it in my driveway! Push it over! Out of the road! Over there!"

Greeson was also cursing and barking orders at Manson. "Your job is to clear the road! Clear the road! Now, get in your truck and do your job!"

The situation got so heated police were called. After nearly a week of investigating, cops arrested Greeson, who is serving his second term in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

Manson recorded Greeson's tirade and posted the video on his Facebook page. He admitted to a local TV reporter he pushed the snow into Greeson's driveway, and he felt bad about doing it.

Still, Manson says he had no choice because his job was to clean off the roads, which meant directing the snow into driveways across the entire area. In other words, he wasn't singling out Greeson.

Greeson issued a statement addressing the matter, "I apologized to the man. He accepted my apology. That was several days ago, and we have both moved on."

MMA fans are clamoring for a Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou megafight ... but Dana White says there's nothing to see there, 'cause the new heavyweight champ would've demolished "The Predator" much like he did Ciryl Gane last weekend!

The UFC president joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... when White was asked if he could foresee any situation where he'd welcome Ngannou back to the UFC and make the Francis-Jon fight.

"I'm not interested," Dana said.

"I tried to make that fight for two years. He didn't want the fight. Know what I mean? He didn't want the fight, and he left here without even having another deal in place. And, I know how the boxing world is, it's crazy, but Francis didn't want to [fight Jones]."

Don't be too disappointed ... White says Francis almost certainly would've been easy work for the G.O.A.T.

"Let me tell you what, I think, a lot of other people feel this way, I think that's exactly the way the fight would've gone if [Ngannou] was in there, too."

Of course, Jon made Ciryl look like light work at UFC 285 ... taking him down and forcing a tap out in a shade over 2 minutes.

Dana, using some MMA math, explained why Ngannou wouldn't have stood much of a chance.

"[Francis] and Ciryl had a five-round war, and if Ciryl doesn't go for that submission, Ciryl probably wins that fight. At the end of the 5th round there."

FYI, Ngannou won their UFC 270 scrap in January 2022 by unanimous decision, but it was a very close fight.

Dana then answered the original question -- can you see yourself making JJ vs. FN?

"No."

We also talked to White about the next big heavyweight matchup, Stipe Miocic vs. Jones. There's talk the fight will go down at UFC 290 on July 8 during International Fight Week, but Dana says nothing's set in stone, and there's not much time to get a deal done.

Dana also said he wouldn't be surprised if this is 35-year-old Jones' last fight.

"I wouldn't be shocked either if he fights Stipe and then retires."

We also talked to Dana about his upcoming Power Slap 1 event, going down Saturday night in Las Vegas. The card features four title fights ... including the two top-ranked heavyweights in the world.

White says he sees parallels between Power Slap/slap fighting and the UFC in its early days, when MMA was viewed as being brutal and too violent.

Dana also broke some news about the future of "Power Slap: Road To The Title," announcing they've signed a two-year deal. White says the next season will take place in Dubai.

Ja Morant was investigated by cops for assault after allegedly clashing with a high school student back in September ... TMZ Sports has learned -- but the NBA star was never charged over the incident.

According to a Germantown Police Dept. report, the interaction between the teenager and the Memphis Grizzlies point guard happened at Houston H.S. in Tennessee on Sept. 22 at around 7:10 PM.

In the docs, police say at an after-school volleyball game, Morant's sister -- who attends Houston H.S. -- got into a verbal argument with another student.

Witnesses on the scene, according to the docs, told officers both parties had called each other "bitch" -- prompting Ja's sister to contact Ja about it all.

A short time later, cops say Ja, Ja's mom and dad, Ja's baby daughter and "a group of" adult males all came into the gym together. According to the documents, most of the group -- excluding Ja's father -- went to confront the student in the stands at the game who had been quarreling with Ja's sister.

"Which one of ya'll called her a bitch?" Jamie Morant, Ja's mother, allegedly said.

Cops say in the docs they told Jamie she "can not come upstairs and confront the students and they did not need to make a scene at the school." But, officers say while they were talking, one of the men with Ja moved past police and walked toward students.

According to the report, witnesses on the scene said the man slapped a phone out of a student's hand who had been attempting to take a picture of Ja in the stands ... and then said, "I don't care about none of that, I will beat y'alls ass."

A witness later said that man "was about to pull a gun" -- though cops on the scene said in the documents they never observed a firearm during the incident.

Police say everyone eventually left the gym without further problems.

The next day, cops say the mother of the student who had been in the spat with Ja's sister wanted to press charges against all parties, including Ja, for intimidation and harassment. Cops say Jamie Morant also wanted to press charges against the student who had been in the tiff with her daughter for threats and intimidation.

Cops investigated Ja for simple assault, intimidation -- no physical contact, but no charges were ever filed.

The mother of the student, meanwhile, tells TMZ Sports her son was also investigated, but did not end up being charged either.

According to the police report, the Grizzlies' head of security -- ID'ed as Kevin Helms in the report -- came to the school to discuss the incident with authorities. Cops say Helms "was asked to give a verbal trespass warning to all parties per the request of the Principal."

We've reached out to the Grizzlies for comment on the situation, but so far, no word back yet.

The situation was one of at least three times in the last calendar year that Ja has been investigated by cops. In the summer, police probed into allegations that he roughed up a teenager during a pickup basketball game at his home. Earlier this week, cops looked into video he posted where he brandished a gun at a Denver-area nightclub. He was not charged in either incident.

Ja -- a 23-year-old, two-time All-Star who's considered one of the best young players in the NBA -- is currently away from the Grizzlies in wake of the gun video.