Fights

This never happened coding ... Mark Zuckerberg tore his ACL training MMA, and was forced to go under the knife, delaying a real deal fight Zuck had scheduled for early next year!

The Facebook founder shared several photos from his hospital bed Friday afternoon ... announcing he's suffered a serious injury to his left leg.

"Tore my ACL sparring and just got out of surgery to replace it. Grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me. I was training for a competitive MMA fight early next year, but now that's delayed a bit. Still looking forward to doing it after I recover. Thanks to everyone for the love and support," 39-year-old Zuck wrote on Instagram.

The bit about the upcoming fight is news, too. No one ever publicly announced Mark scheduled a mixed martial arts bout.

A bunch of MMA stars wished Zuck well after hearing about his injury, including former UFC champ-champ Henry Cejudo, who wrote ...  "Speedy recovery Mark! 🙏"

Through training, Zuckerberg has befriended many of the world's top fighters like Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski.

FYI, the ACL, or the anterior cruciate ligament, is a band of tissue that connects your thigh and shinbones together and is a common injury among athletes.

Of course, Zuckerberg and Elon Musk spent months negotiating terms for an MMA fight, though it never came to fruition. The billionaires blamed each other for the breakdown.

Earlier this week Musk went on Joe Rogan's podcast and again reiterated that he would fight Zuckerberg "anytime, anywhere, any place."

ACL recovery typically takes around 9 months, give or take, to return to competition post-surgery.

Until then, Mark's likely not fighting anyone.

Francis Ngannou knows what he wants next ... telling TMZ Sports the clear choice is a rematch with Tyson Fury!

We talked to 37-year-old Ngannou on Tuesday ... just days after his incredibly impressive performance against 35-year-old Fury, and asked one of the most coveted athletes in all combat sports who and/or what he wants now that the world's at his fingertips.

"The rematch is what I want next the most," Ngannou told us.

"As for right now I feel like there is a lot of options for me, but I want to choose wisely, and I would go for the rematch first."

Before Tyson and Francis ever threw a punch at each other, Fury already had his next fight booked vs. Oleksandr Usyk. Ngannou thinks he and Fury should settle their business (the rematch) before the boxing champs scrap.

"My best scenario in boxing is to wait for Fury. If Usyk can step out and let me fight Fury, I'll fight Fury, then I'll let them do whatever they do. I'll go back, maybe do some MMA fight and come back with some people in boxing," Francis said.

"I'm planning to fight potentially twice next year, [starting] maybe February or March."

Of course, despite losing by a split decision on the judge's scorecards, many fans believe Francis beat Tyson ... so, we asked The Predator if he plans on appealing the decision.

"Who am I gonna appeal to? [The British Boxing Commission]? I have no chance. I think that's just another way of humiliation."

Francis Ngannou sabe lo que quiere y le dicie a TMZ Sports que la opción clara es una revancha con Tyson Fury.

Hablamos con Ngannou (37), el martes, pocos días después de su impresionante actuación  contra Fury (35) y le preguntó a uno de los atletas más codiciados de todos los deportes de combate que es lo que quiere ahora que el mundo está a su alcance.

"La revancha es lo que más quiero después", nos dijo Ngannou.

"En cuanto a ahora mismo, siento que hay muchas opciones para mí, pero quiero elegir sabiamente, y yo iría primero por la revancha".

Antes de que Tyson y Francis se dieran un puñetazo, Fury ya tenía reservada su próxima pelea contra Oleksandr Usyk. Ngannou cree que él y Fury deberían arreglar sus asuntos (la revancha) antes de que los campeones de boxeo se peleen.

"Mi mejor escenario en el boxeo es esperar a Fury. Si Usyk puede retirarse y dejarme pelear con Fury, pelearé con Fury, y luego les dejaré hacer lo que hagan. Volveré, tal vez haga alguna pelea de MMA y regresaré con algunas personas en el boxeo", dijo Francis.

"Estoy planeando pelear potencialmente dos veces el próximo año, [comenzando] tal vez en febrero o marzo".

Por supuesto, a pesar de perder por decisión dividida en las tarjetas de puntuación del juez, muchos fanáticos creen que Francis venció a Tyson, así que le preguntamos a "The Predator" si planea apelar la decisión.

"¿A quién voy a apelar? [¿A la Comisión Británica de Boxeo?] No tengo ninguna posibilidad. Creo que es otra forma de humillación".

Bill Bidwill Jr. -- the former Arizona Cardinals exec who's the brother of the NFL team's current owner, Michael Bidwill -- was a bloody mess following an alleged fight with his wife earlier this year ... new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the footage, you can see officers responded to Bill's Paradise Valley, Ariz. residence at around 6 PM on June 9 following a report of domestic violence ... they came into immediate contact with Bill, who appeared to be bleeding profusely from his face area.

Bill can be heard in the video -- captured on Paradise Valley Police Dept. body cameras -- telling officers his wife, Nicole Bidwill, had just roughed him up following an altercation over some carpet installation.

"She was very upset at me," said Bill, who continuously wiped blood from his head with a large towel.

"I'm sitting on the couch, and she's screaming at me. And I was trying to not escalate because she has a very bad temper."

"And then she started hitting me, and I just started defending myself."

Bill told an officer Nicole "must have hit" him "a hundred times," adding that the strikes were thrown with force. He also said that during the altercation, she picked up a glass cup full of beer and shattered it over his forehead.

"That cut me here," he told a cop.

Bill added that as he tried to get away, Nicole grabbed him and was "just beating the s*** out of me."

Bill, however, later told cops he did not want them to arrest his wife. Instead, he told them to take him into custody -- explaining, "She is not going to tolerate that well."

Meanwhile, cops also interviewed Nicole at the scene ... though she appeared to be far less cooperative with law enforcement than her husband.

She, at first, didn't want to get off the hood of a car she was lying on. She later didn't want to answer questions, telling officers she wanted to wait for her daughter, who's an attorney.

And, when cops placed her under arrest, she didn't want to walk to their squad cars -- so they carried her by her arms and legs.

As we reported, Nicole was booked on a charge of assault ... though, according to a police report, Bill did not want to press charges.

Bill served as the vice president of the Cardinals for several years when his dad, Bill Bidwill Sr., owned the team ... and in 2019, he reportedly helped take over ownership following Sr.'s passing. He does not, however, currently have any role with the team.

Jon Jones is on the road to recovery after going down with a serious injury ahead of UFC 295 ... showing off his bandaged-up pec following surgery last week.

Bones was forced to back out of his big heavyweight championship bout against Stipe Miocic after he tore his muscle right off the bone in a training session ... postponing the highly-anticipated matchup until 2024.

Jones wasted no time fixing his ailment by going under the knife ... and on Tuesday, he posted a video revealing Steri-Strips -- which are used to hold incisions together -- near his shoulder.

Jones didn't talk in the short clip ... but he really didn't have to -- you can tell by his facial expression he's just as bummed as everyone else about not being able to fight on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden.

In the meantime, Sergei Pavlovich will now take on Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title at the Garden ... which will be the co-main event alongside the Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira fight.

Jones also shared a post-op vid last week ... confirming he had gotten the procedure done and was ready for the next steps in his comeback. Dr. Neal ElAttrache -- who recently worked on Aaron Rodgers' Achilles -- performed the surgery.

Stipe claims he wasn't asked to stay on the 295 card ... but either way, he's ready to get the title back from Jones when the time comes.

"The fight being canceled, it sucks," Stipe said. "No question about it. Unfortunately, that’s just the game we’re in. It happens. Like I said, I hope he’s okay. You want to be the best; you’ve got to beat the best. I want that belt back. It’s my belt. It’s going to happen."

Dana White said it will take eight months for Jones to get back to 100%, but orthopedic surgeons like Dr. David Abbasi say he could be back in half the time.

Francis Ngannou's performance against Tyson Fury, despite losing on the scorecards, totally changed how many fans view MMA fighters vs. boxers ... a little too much according to undefeated pugilist Shakur Stevenson, who has a message for any UFC stars having thoughts of stepping in the ring.

Of course, Fury edged Ngannou by split decision in Saudi Arabia on Saturday ... a fight many expected to be a cakewalk for the world's best heavyweight boxer. In reality, it was anything but ... and now some mixed martial artists are emboldened by what went down in the squared circle.

"I say if they feel that way, give it a try. I think that you got some MMA guys that want to come get in the ring with somebody like me, I would love the opportunity to beat up an MMA guy and show them that there's real levels to it," 26-year-old Stevenson told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

20-0 Shakur continued ... "I just think Tyson Fury was off that night and them [MMA] dudes need to relax and stay in their lane."

We followed up with Shakur ... asking if he had an opponent in mind.

"What's that dude's name, Sean ...?" Shakur asked.

He was talking about "Suga" Sean O'Malley, the UFC's bantamweight (135 lb.) champion.

Babcock asked Shakur if he had a message for Suga.

"Tell him we can get it in. I'm ready to lock in with him," Stevenson told us, adding ... "It's levels to this s**t. If he wants to come try his hand, I'll beat the s**t out of him."

Of course, O'Malley previously called out Gervonta "Tank" Davis ... so it's clear Sean's hunting for a big-time boxing superstar.

Shakur fits that bill to a T.

O'Malley is under contract with the UFC, but Dana White has shown he's willing to make big, crossover fights. Look no further than Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather in 2017.

As for the Fury and Ngannou fight, Shakur says regardless of what Fury says, he doesn't believe Tyson trained 3 months for Francis.

"I don't believe the fact that he says he trained for 12 weeks. He didn't look like he trained. Didn't look like he threw too many punches. He usually throws punches. He seemed real hesitant, and I don't know how good of shape he was in," Stevenson said.

"Usually I'm a big fan of Tyson Fury. That night he didn't look too good."

Ex-NBA player Joe Smith is not a fan of his wife's latest business venture ... absolutely losing it after finding out she has an OnlyFans account.

Smith's partner of five years, Kisha Chavis -- a former adult actress who went by the name Yasmine Pendavis -- shared footage of his reaction to discovering her XXX subscription-based profile ... and he was PISSED.

"Just finding out you got an OnlyFans page all these years," Smith said in the clip ... adding she should have had a conversation with him before hopping on the platform.

"That's bulls***," Smith -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft -- said. "That's f***ed up, Kish. I'm telling you, that's f***ed up."

Kisha then defends herself ... claiming she isn't doing any work with other people, so it's "my body, my f***ing choice."

She also said she tried numerous times to come up with a solution to her financial status together ... but ultimately decided to revisit her former career path.

"You knew who the f*** I was when you met me ... I thought I would never have to go back to anything like this again. But, unfortunately, that's not the case right now."

It's worth noting -- Smith reportedly made $61 million in his career ... but only pocketed around $18 mil after taxes and agent fees, among other expenses. He has since opened up about his money problems.

Smith said he doesn't care how much money she's making on OF -- it doesn't change the fact that she was doing it behind his back ... and he sees it as a smack in the face.

A YouTuber's bodyguard punched a guy's lights out -- all of which was caught on video ... and which reeks of déjà vu considering he did this before while working for DaBaby.

We're talking about Jack Doherty, who's pretty famous among the Gen Z crowd ... and who posted a wild clip of a violent altercation that went down Friday night during what looks to be some sort of Halloween party here in L.A. alongside fellow YouTuber Corinna Kopf.

It looks like Jack was arguing with a couple guys who were rolling with Corinna and her crew -- all stemming from an apparent snub she dished out to Jack while at the party -- and they're all bickering back and forth for a while ... until this security dude rolls up.

Eventually, he confronts one of the fellas Jack's facing off with ... and they start to exchange words -- which ultimately ends with JD's hired muscle throwing a haymaker out of nowhere.

The guy who gets punched -- who's way smaller than the bodyguard -- falls straight to the ground ... and his friends (including Corinna) start to yell at the perpetrator, asking him why he did that. The bodyguard backs away and tries cussing them out in his defense.

Jack seemed happy to post the clip online, and he added "context" underneath ... writing, "they were pressing us," which seems to mean that the guys he was initially arguing with were threatening him. But based on the longer version of this incident ... that's iffy at best.

Now, here's the kicker ... this bodyguard was actually wrapped up in something similar a few years back while working for DaBaby -- something the Internet was quick to remember.

We actually covered this at the time ... DB was performing in New Orleans, when he started getting swarmed by fans as he waded into the crowd -- at which point, this same man (who was working for DaBaby) threw a similar punch ... only then, he KO'd a freaking lady.

A closer look shows it is, indeed, the same man ... and we've figured out who the hell he is. He goes by Kane Kongg on social media. He's a content creator himself -- but obviously does bodyguard work on the side for the rich and famous.

Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya's breaking down Francis Ngannou's odds of beating Tyson Fury in the boxing ring Saturday night ... putting his chance squarely at "ZERO," flat out telling us it ain't happening!

TMZ Sports was chatting with ODLH -- as he was promoting boxing star Ryan Garcia's upcoming return to the ring -- when we asked him about today's fight in Saudi Arabia ... pitting The Predator, MMA's most feared striker, vs. The Gypsy King, the best heavyweight boxer in the world.

"I think I have a better chance at beating Tiger Woods in golf," Oscar told us ... not mincing a single word.

We followed up ... no chance at all?!

"Zero," De La Hoya responded.

"I'll tell you one thing about Tyson Fury and Ngannou. It's gonna be entertaining, while it lasts I believe. Tyson Fury, you have to realize, he went in there against [Deontay] Wilder. He goes in there vs. Wladimir Klitschko, so he's a fighter all his life inside the boxing ring."

Despite clearly seeing no way the former UFC champ can win, Oscar still gave him credit for accepting the bout.

"Ngannou, I commend him for even trying this. I take my hat off to him for even trying this. He's gonna make a s***load of money. I just think when Tyson Fury gets his number and his rhythm, he's gonna play with him and probably knock him out."

FYI, Francis last fought in January 2022 -- a UFC contest -- against heavyweight contender, Ciryl Gane. Ngannou won by unanimous decision. Tyson last fought and beat Derek Chisora by TKO in December 2022.

Fury is regarded as not just the best heavyweight boxer of his era, but of of the greatest ever, period. Meanwhile, Ngannou, a striker who puts fear in his opponents, has never boxed professionally.

Bottom line, there might not be anyone out there who knows boxing better than De La Hoya ... but as they say, there's a reason they play the game, or in this case, have the fight.

Chris Brown beat the hell out of a man at a London nightclub, and his injuries were so bad he ended up in a hospital ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The singer is being sued by a man named Abe Diaw, who claims Chris smashed him over the head with a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila back in February at TAPE nightclub in England.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Diaw claims Chris wielded the tequila bottle like a weapon as he pummeled Diaw over the head with "crushing blows."

The guy claims he was knocked unconscious but says that didn't stop Chris from continuing the attack ... he says CB ruthlessly stomped on him as he lay passed out on the club floor.

In the docs, Diaw claims he had to be hospitalized as a result of his alleged injuries ... which he says include cuts on his head and torn ligaments in his leg.

Chris' accuser says there's surveillance footage of the whole thing ... and he says cops in London have the alleged beatdown video. Diaw claims he can identify Chris in the footage and claims CB is a fugitive in the United Kingdom as a result of the alleged incident.

And, get this ... Diaw claims he's known Chris for at least seven years and thought Chris was coming up to hug him at the club when Brown instead allegedly struck him three times with the tequila bottle.

Diaw says his injuries may be permanent and he's suffering serious emotional distress and trauma. He's suing Chris for damages.

Ras Kass has made peace with his drunken ball drop with Jay-Z from years ago, but now that he knows what he knows ... he'd opt for the $500K in the Jay dinner debate.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the West Coast MC Wednesday night at Projector L.A.'s Halloween bash, where he told us his wounds from ruining his chance to spearhead Jay's label have long healed.

But, he's learned a valuable lesson: All up-and-coming rappers better be ready to lose themselves at ANY given moment.

And, steer clear of all wack hip hop!!!

RK met up with Jay in NYC in the early 2000s in hopes of being the flagship artist for the developing Roc-A-Fella West label division.

When they arrived at their club destination, RK says paranoia crept in as he got the hunch he and Jay could end up fighting -- so he began downing some liquid courage.

No club brawls took place, but when Jay introduced RK on the mic, he was too slizzard to nail his rhymes ... and Jay lost his number!!!

In hindsight, RK tells us he forgot the real reason he was there that night, and fumbled the bag -- but there's no hard feelings.

While he praises Jay for his shrewd business sense, Ras Kass has no shame in his game ... he says he'd definitely take the imaginary $500K over a second chance meeting with the mogul.

Hey, that's exactly what Jay's advising everyone to do!!!

Michael Blackson can't wait to get into the ring after inking a deal with Celebrity Boxing ... and, naturally, he's got his eyes on a bout with fellow comedian Kevin Hart.

The actor and comedian just signed his contract with CB founder Damon Feldman, and they're both pumped, and Michael's trash talking is already on point ... as he's calling out other celebs.

Clearly, he wants a piece of Kevin, first and foremost -- they've had beef in the past, which they ultimately squashed a couple years ago, but it sounds like MB may be reversing course.

Other celebs on Michael's radar include DC Young Fly, DeRay Davis and Katt Williams ... and he's got some choice words for all three.

You know Michael's going to promote the hell out of his eventual fight ... and he's already getting his Don King on.

Justin Gaethje is manifesting a title shot.

The #2 ranked lightweight, despite being ranked a spot below Charles Oliveira, probably has the strongest case for the next crack at the 155 lb. belt ... and the UFC superstar tells us he's preparing to fight Islam Makhachev in early 2024!

"No, I haven't had any conversations yet [with the UFC about fighting Makhachev]," Gaethje told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1), adding ... "I'm expecting to fight [Islam] February, March of next year, so that's what I'm getting ready for."

34-year-old Gaethje's coming off an impressive KO win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 in July 2023. Justin's now ranked 2 at lightweight, while Charles is 1, and Islam's champ.

Oliveira and Makhachev were supposed to fight in the main event at UFC 294 on Saturday, but Charles was forced to withdraw less than 2 weeks before the fight over an injury.

Justin clearly believes Charles, who previously fought and lost to Islam by submission in late 2022, has missed the bus on a title shot ... at least in the immediate future.

"Like I said, Oliveira had his chance and then he had his second chance and backed out," Gaethje said.

It's clear JG believes the fight's his, so we asked him ... how do you match up with the champion?

"With the experience I've had with Khabib, I understand that he's not the same fighter. I wasn't scared of Khabib, but that's an intimidating guy to go up against, and that factor will not be there. I'm more confident," Gaethje said, reflecting on his experience with Nurmagomedov, and how the Makhachev fight would be different.

"I think I'm a great matchup. I think it's a much better match-up for myself than Khabib was, and I think I'll be able to really be effective with my striking and then create some opportunities to maximize the damage that I'm creating."

John Cena's new movie, "Freelance," comes out this week, but actors are still on strike, and that means the WWE legend cannot do press to promote the film.

Enter the 16x WWE champion's friends -- including Alexa Bliss, LA Knight, and TMZ Sports' own Mojo Muhtadi, in addition to a bunch more -- who in place of Cena, attended a premiere of the movie at Regal Waterfod Lakes in Orlando.

Of course, SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, is still at odds with the Hollywood studios. As part of the strike, actors cannot do media to promote a project ... and if you did, that'd be crossing the picket line.

Obviously a big no-no (ask Drew Barrymore).

So, Cena's buds did the next best thing.

As for the movie, it's got an impressive cast ... with Alison Brie and Christian Slater also starring in the movie, which the studio described like this:

An ex-special forces operative takes a job to provide security for a journalist as she interviews a dictator, but a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, and they are forced to escape into the jungle where they must survive.

While he undoubtedly was bummed he couldn't be at Orlando showing, we're told Cena was seriously touched by his friend's show of support!

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic will not happen at UFC 295 next month -- Dana White just announced the heavyweight champion suffered a torn pectoral tendon while training earlier this week ... sidelining him for the next eight months.

"What's up, everybody? Here we are again," Dana said in a social media video late Tuesday night. "Jon Jones was training last night, got injured. He was wrestling and he tore the tendon that connects your pec to the bone off the bone."

"Eight months, gonna need surgery. He's out."

White shared footage of the moment Jones went down ... showing him wincing in pain as he reached for his chest.

The UFC honcho said fans can now tune in to see Sergei Pavlovich take on Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 11 ... which will be the co-main event alongside the Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira bout.

Despite the bumming news about Jones vs. Miocic, White is clearly fired up about the new fight ... as No. 2-ranked Pavlovich is 18-1 with 15 knockouts, and No. 4 Aspinall is 13-3 with 10 K.O. and three submissions -- meaning he's never let any of his wins go to the judges.

"A combined 25 knockouts, 26 first-round finishes -- No. 2 vs. No. 4 in the heavyweight division for the interim heavyweight title."

No, Jake Paul was NOT doing bumps of cocaine in the ring after his brother Logan's boxing match last weekend ... so says the Problem Child himself, who's combating the allegations with comedy.

The 26-year-old internet superstar and pugilist was spotted on camera touching his nose as he stood behind his older bro following his win over Dillon Danis in Manchester ... with many going to social media to accuse him of sniffing the booger sugar in plain sight.

Paul addressed it all in his most recent YouTube video ... poking fun at the wild claims by surrounding himself with Coca-Cola cans and tossing a white powder in the air like LeBron James.

"Y'all want some Coke?" Paul asked his friends as he pretended to be drugged out.

After laughing it off, Paul got serious ... saying his gesture was the result of being a sweaty guy -- even zooming in on his nose to show how moist his skin gets from "five minutes of existing."

On top of that, his involvement in the post-fight scuffle certainly didn't help his perspiration problem.

"This is the thing, is I go to brawl in the ring to save my f***ing brother," Paul added. "Forty grown men around me, everyone's huffing and puffing, I'm yelling, 'You bitch, you're lucky I didn't kill you.' and I'm literally drenched in sweat."

"I come out, everyone knows I'm the most sweatiest person in the world. So I get into the ring to like, go be there for my brother and s***, and I put my hat on and I'm literally sweating down my face, so I'm just like this, trying to get the sweat off of my f***ing face."

Paul's girlfriend, Jutta Leerdam, backed her man ... saying she's seen first-hand how seriously he takes care of his body -- and all the haters need to quit trying to create a false image of him.