Fights

Sean Strickland's the UFC Middleweight champ today, but by the end of 2024, Brendan Allen believes the top of the division will look different ... he expects to be the titleholder!

TMZ Sports talked to 27-year-old Allen, the #10 ranked 185-pounder in the promotion, ahead of his UFC Fight Night main event scrap with #13 ranked Paul Craig on Saturday in Las Vegas ... a big fight for the rising star.

We asked Brendan for his assessment of the division.

"I think I'm the best in the world. It's up to me to prove it," Allen said, adding ... "I think Sean [Strickland] will be there for a little bit. Hopefully, ending of next year it'll be 'And new' for me. That's the goal. I don't care who's there when it's my turn. But obviously, the goal is 'And new' when I get my turn."

Allen, 22-5, is coming off a win over Bruno Silva in June ... his 5th straight victory.

35-year-old Craig had lost two in a row -- against Volkan Oezdemir (July '22) and Johnny Walker (January '23) -- before rebounding against Andre Muniz in July. Paul's 17-6-1 over his pro career.

Brendan also weighed in on Paul's decision to go from 205 lbs. to the 185 lb. division ... a move that could come around to bite Craig, according to Allen.

"I think the weight cut will play a role, but it's not the sole or main reason [I'll win]. I just think that I'm gonna be too good, too fast, too strong. He may be bigger, but I'm just a different guy when it comes to this weight class, and I'm gonna show just that.," Brenda told us.

We also talked to Craig ... who is going to do his best to (at least momentarily) stop the Allen hype train.

AD is in utter disbelief Snoop Dogg is quitting smoking THC for good but if Dogg has officially puffed his blunt, he can count on AD's support -- spiritually and physically!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught AD at LAX, and he tells us he's fully prepared to assist Snoop in his smokeless journey, especially with the family being involved in his decision.

Snoop threw everyone for a loop on Thursday when he announced he's done with "smoke" and immediately got the backing of his son Cordell.

The post had an interesting choice in wording ... Snoop's abandoning "smoke" -- not "smoking" or "weed" -- leaving many fans to believe his post is really about switching to some sort of vape or edible alternative.

The 'Cuhmunity' podcast host tells us he's confident Snoop has the willpower to pull it off, and doesn't think he'll get hate for it ... 'cause how could anyone hate on the legend?

Floyd Mayweather's returning to the boxing ring to take care of some unfinished business ... the legendary fighter is taking on John Gotti III in Las Vegas over Super Bowl weekend in February, a rematch of their '23 fight that ended in chaos!

TMZ Sports is told the event will happen around Super Sunday (February 11 in Sin City) and will be headlined by 46-year-old Mayweather vs. 31-year-old Gotti III.

Floyd, 50-0, is one of the greatest fighters to ever put on a pair of gloves. Gotti III, grandson of the legendary Gambino family crime boss, John Gotti, was originally an MMA fighter (5-1), who eventually got into boxing (2-0).

The rest of the card will be anchored by Floyd's Mayweather Promotions fighters.

Of course, Floyd and John have history. Back in June, they boxed at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida ... but the bout was called in the sixth round after a bunch of holding and other shenanigans in the ring.

Although the fight was technically stopped by ref Kenny Bayless, it was just the beginning of the fighting ... as mayhem erupted inside the squared circle, and outside of it, too.

In fact, Joseline Hernandez and Big Lex were seen scrapping.

Order was eventually restored ... and reps for the fighters spoke and peaced things up.

Now, the men are set to battle again ... during what was already one of the biggest weeks in all of sports.

And, to make sure there isn't a repeat of the first fight, we're told there are clauses in the contracts that could trigger a financial fine if anyone gets out of line.

The fight, a pay-per-view event airing on Zeus network, will be promoted by Mayweather Promotions, along with partner Hidden Empire Films!

Steve Kerr made it clear he's pissed at Draymond Green for choking Rudy Gobert earlier this week ... calling the Golden State star's actions "inexcusable."

The Warriors head coach didn't hold back when talking about Green's role in Tuesday night's on-court fight just before the Dubs' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday ... explaining to reporters he didn't find Green's actions appropriate.

"He took it too far," Kerr said. "Draymond was wrong. He knows that. It's a bad look."

Kerr added that the five-game ban that Draymond received for putting his arms around Gobert's neck and refusing to let go during the Dubs' loss to the Timberwolves was "deserved."

"It was a terrible visual for the league," Kerr said, "for Draymond and for everybody."

Initially, Kerr seemed to have Green's back following the brawl ... saying Tuesday night he thought his player did what was needed to protect Klay Thompson. In some ways, Kerr stood by that stance a bit on Thursday, telling media members he "had no problem" with Green getting Gobert off Thompson ... but "he's got to let go."

"He hung on for like six, seven seconds," Kerr said.

Without Green on Thursday night, the Warriors got blown out by the Thunder, 128-109.

Jake Paul's a big deal in boxing, and some people don't like it ... but don't count legendary boxer Andre Ward among that group 'cause the multiple-time former world champion tells us he's a fan of The Problem Child driving new fans to the sport!

"I don't hate on it," Ward told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) this week ... of Paul's transition from YouTuber to boxing star.

"The crossover stuff like what Jake Paul, Logan [Paul] is doing, [Francis] Ngannou just did, I respect it. That takes a lot of courage, takes a lot of heart."

Ward -- who retired in 2017 with a perfect 32-0 record -- said he applauds Paul for ignoring the naysayers who have labeled him a gimmick or sideshow and want him out of the sport.

"I don't think so. It actually brings a new audience, more eyeballs," Ward said, "and if the fanbase follows them over to boxing, then more power to 'em."

"I'm a fan of it, I appreciate it and I watch it."

In fact, Ward, who is still only 39 years old, told us he'd actually be down to step back in the ring for an exhibition fight ... against Jake or Logan.

"I don't hate against it. I would probably do it for the right situation. I keep myself just good enough to where if I needed 7, 8 weeks, I can take care of my business," Ward said.

Although he hasn't been fighting, Ward's been busy ... in fact, he just released a brand new memoir titled "Killing The Image: A Champion's Journey Of Faith, Fighting, And Forgiveness."

Ward's book isn't just about boxing ... Son of God talks about everything from his difficult childhood to the role that faith and religion have played in his life, and how it's guided to him incredible heights -- including 5 world titles and an Olympic gold medal.

"This book takes you deep into my mind, into my life, into my upbringing [and] how I go to the point that I'm at today."

Jake Paul es muy importante en el boxeo y a algunas personas no les gusta, pero no cuentes con que el legendario boxeador Andre Ward entre ese grupo. El varias veces ex campeón del mundo nos dice que es un fan de "The Problem Child" por que atrae a nuevos aficionados al deporte.

"No lo odio", dijo Ward a Babcock en el programa de televisión "TMZ Sports" (se emite todas las noches en FS1) esta semana, de la transición de Paul de YouTuber a estrella del boxeo.

"Las cosas cruzadas como lo que Jake Paul, Logan [Paul] está haciendo, o lo que [Francis] Ngannou acaba de hacer, lo respeto. Eso requiere mucho coraje, requiere mucho corazón".

Ward —quien se retiró en 2017 con un récord perfecto de 32-0— dijo que aplaude a Paul por ignorar a los detractores que lo han etiquetado como un simple showman o espectáculo secundario y lo quieren fuera del deporte.

"No creo que sea así. En realidad aporta un nuevo público, más ojos", dijo Ward, "y si la afición les sigue hasta el boxeo, pues más poder para ellos".

"Soy un fan, lo aprecio y lo veo".

De hecho, Ward —que solo tiene 39 años— nos dijo que estaría dispuesto a volver al ring para una pelea de exhibición contra Jake o Logan.

"No tengo nada en contra. Probablemente lo haría en la situación adecuada. Me mantengo lo suficientemente bien como para ocuparme de mis asuntos", dijo Ward.

Aunque no ha estado luchando, Ward ha estado ocupado, de hecho, acaba de publicar un nuevo libro de memorias titulado "Killing The Image: A Champion's Journey Of Faith, Fighting, And Forgiveness".

El libro de Ward no trata solo de boxe, Hijo de Dios habla de todo, desde su difícil infancia hasta el papel que la fe y la religión han desempeñado en su vida, y cómo le han guiado a cotas increíbles (5 títulos mundiales y una medalla de oro olímpica).

"Este libro te lleva a lo más profundo de mi mente, de mi vida, de mi educación y de cómo llegué al punto en el que estoy hoy".

5:52 PM PT -- The NBA is punishing Draymond Green for his putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold ... hitting DG with a 5-game suspension.

In announcing the suspension Wednesday, the NBA says ... "The length of the suspension is based in part on Green's history of unsportsmanlike acts."

Draymond will reportedly miss out on $769,970 in salary with the unpaid suspension ... and he's being fined $25,000.

Meanwhile, Rudy is being docked $25K ... as are Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels.

Draymond Green has found himself in hot water for putting his hands on someone once again.

This time, the Warriors superstar was ejected from Golden State's game against the Timberwolves on Tuesday night ... because he locked Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.

The MMA move happened just seconds into the Dubs' contest with Minnesota at the Chase Center in San Francisco ... just after Klay Thompson got tangled up with Jaden McDaniels.

The two NBA stars swung each other around right in the middle of the court ... and in an effort to break it all up, guys from both teams raced in.

But, when Green got to the fracas, he appeared to escalate things further by wrapping his arm around Gobert's neck -- and refusing to let go ... this despite repeated pleas from head coach Steve Kerr.

Eventually, Green did drop Gobert ... but refs still decided to throw him out of the game for the act -- as well as Thompson and McDaniels.

After the game -- which the Warriors ended up losing -- Gobert blasted Green for it all ... calling the Golden State star's actions "clown behavior."

"It's kind of funny because before the game, I was telling myself that Steph [Curry] is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try and get ejected," Gobert said. "Because every time Steph doesn't play, he doesn't want to play -- it's his guy Steph. He'll do anything he can to get ejected."

Gobert then called for punishment for Green.

"I do hope that the league is going to do what needs to be done because that’s just clown behavior," Gobert said. "Not much to say. It’s clown behavior."

Of course, Green is no stranger to these situations ... he's been ejected for physical altercations several times over his career -- and, perhaps most famously, he was fined by his own team last year for getting violent with teammate Jordan Poole during a preseason practice.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Tom Aspinall doesn't want to twiddle his thumbs for a year waiting for Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic to fight -- the interim heavyweight champ says he respects the heavyweight G.O.A.T., but his time has passed -- and it's only right the two champs unify the belt!

TMZ Sports talked to Aspinall on Wednesday and asked about his plans moving forward.

"I want to fight Jon Jones, man. And this is no disrespect to Stipe at all. After a performance like Saturday night, who really cares about 42-year-old Stipe who has not fought for 3 or 4 years coming back and fighting Jon Jones. Ya know what I mean? I just knocked out the scariest dude in the UFC in a minute."

Of course, Aspinall only needed 1 minute and 9 seconds to dispatch of Sergei Pavlovich -- arguably the scariest guy in the division because of his incredible punching power -- at UFC 295, securing the interim title at Madison Square Garden.

Tom went on to make his case for the Jones scrap, saying, "I know it's like a big respect thing. Stipe is like the greatest heavyweight ever and Jon Jones is arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever. I get that. I completely get that, but it's also about relevance. It's also about excitement. It's also about what puts people in seats, what people are gonna buy pay-per-views, and I'm more exciting than anybody right now. I deserve a shot. I'm the champion."

Aspinall continued ... "Jon Jones is the champion. I'm not saying he's not. But I'm a champion as well and Stipe, and this is no disrespect to Stipe at all, I'm a massive fan of his, but Stipe at this point was guy who hasn't fought in three years and is coming off a loss."

Many people around the sport agree with Tom, but that doesn't mean it's a lock to happen. In fact, Dana White has said he intends to re-book the Jones-Miocic fight when Jon gets healthy.

Aspinall was only in the Octagon at MSG because the JJ vs. Stipe fight was scrapped over the injury.

It remains to be seen if the UFC honcho changes course and unifies the belts.

There's much more with the interim UFC champ ... we talked to Tom about how life has changed since Saturday night, how he plans to celebrate achieving his lifelong dream, and what did Pavlovich's power actually feel like?!

Eight high school students in Las Vegas are facing murder charges after being arrested in connection with the fatal beating of fellow student Jonathan Lewis.

The 17-year-old died earlier this month as a result of blunt force trauma injuries suffered in a beatdown near Rancho High School ... and the Clark County coroner's office listed the manner of death as a homicide, leading to a slew of arrests.

Cops in Sin City announced Tuesday all 8 arrested are between the ages of 13 and 17 ... and they're students at Rancho High.

With the assistance of the FBI, cops took all 8 students into custody Tuesday morning ... and law enforcement is still working to identify 2 more teens believed to be involved in the fatal beatdown.

The incident happened Nov. 1 after school let out, and video shows Jonathan getting beaten by a bunch of students. Police say the fight started over stolen wireless headphones and possibly a stolen vape pen ... with everyone agreeing to meet in an alley and fight over it.

While the video appears to show Jonathan, who is white, getting swarmed by mostly Black kids ... cops say the incident is not being considered a hate crime -- but note the beating was "void of humanity."

Ocho estudiantes de secundaria de Las Vegas se enfrentan a cargos de asesinato tras ser detenidos por golpear a su compañero Jonathan Lewis y causarle la muerte.

El joven de 17 años murió a principios de este mes como resultado de traumatismos contundentes sufridos en una paliza cerca de Rancho High School, y la oficina del forense del condado de Clark está catalogando la muerte como un homicidio, lo que ha llevado a una serie de detenciones.

La policía de la ciudad del pecado anunció el martes que los ocho detenidos tienen entre 13 y 17 años y son estudiantes de Rancho High.

Con la ayuda del FBI, los policías tomaron en custodia a los ocho estudiantes el martes por la mañana y la ley sigue trabajando por identificar a otros dos adolescentes que se cree estuvieron involucrados en el fatal episodio.

El incidente tuvo lugar el 1 de noviembre a la salida del colegio. Un video muestra a Jonathan recibiendo una paliza por parte de un grupo de estudiantes. La policía dice que la pelea comenzó por unos auriculares inalámbricos robados y posiblemente un vaporizador. Todos estuvieron de acuerdo con reunirse en un callejón y luchar por ellos.

Aunque el video parece mostrar a Jonathan, que es blanco, rodeado por una mayoría de chicos negros, los policías dicen que el incidente no está siendo considerado como un crimen de odio, pero advierten que la paliza fue una "falta de humanidad".

The gloves were off as a fistfight nearly broke out between Sen. Markwayne Mullin and Teamsters General President, Sean O'Brien, on Capitol Hill Tuesday ... resulting in a stern scolding from Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Tensions erupted when ex-MMA fighter Mullin read out tweets by O'Brien following a previous heated congressional hearing, in which he was labeled a "clown and fraud," among various other insults.

With his damning gaze firmly on his opponent, Mullin warns of a "time and place to run his mouth" ... and as "two consenting adults," they could "finish it here."

The duo urges each other to "stand their butt up" to duke it out leaving an agitated Sanders to keep the peace and remind Mullin of his responsibilities as a United States senator.

"God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress," Sanders says, clearly pissed about the showdown that was about to unfold.

Unrelenting, Sen. Mullin -- an Oklahoma Republican -- goes on to taunt his rival for "going quiet" ... only for O'Brien to hit back by likening him to a 12-year-old for challenging him to a cage match. Ouch.

Las luchas de los Bills en el campo aparentemente han frustrado tanto a los aficionados de Buffalo, que ahora se han vuelto unos contra otros. Esto fue lo que pasó en una violenta pelea a puñetazos en el partido del lunes por la noche.

La salvaje pelea ocurrió durante la derrota de Buffalo ante Denver en el Highmark Stadium cuando varios aficionados claramente se molestaron con un hombre con una camiseta de Josh Allen.

Se desconoce lo que provocó la conmoción, pero se puede ver en el video filmado por alguien a pocas filas de distancia de todo, que los puños comenzaron a volar pocos segundos después de que se intercambiaron palabras.

Échale un vistazo al clip; el fan de Allen recibe un jab en la cara y se defiendo con un empujón, luego de eso, se desató la batalla.

En un momento dado, un hombre con una camiseta de Thurman Thomas saltó para tratar de ayudar al fa de Allen que estaba peleando solo, lo que llevó a un caos aún mayor.

Afortunadamente, parece que las cabezas más frías prevalecieron después de algunos unos segundos de lucha.

The Bills' struggles on the field have apparently frustrated Buffalo fans so much, they've now turned on each other -- getting into a violent fistfight at the game on Monday night.

The wild scrap happened at some point during Buffalo's loss to Denver at Highmark Stadium ... when several fans clearly became upset with a man in a Josh Allen jersey.

It's unknown what sparked the commotion ... but you can see in video shot by someone a few rows away from it all, fists started to fly just seconds after words were exchanged.

Check out the clip ... after the Allen fan got tagged in the face by a jab, he threw some haymakers -- which led to an all-out melee.

At one point, a man in a Thurman Thomas shirt jumped in to try and help out the Allen fan, which led to even more chaos.

Thankfully, it appeared cooler heads prevailed after just a few moments of fighting.

Druski's constant Birdman trolling seems to have finally caught up with him -- that is, if you buy this surveillance footage ... which shows the record exec "pulling up" on the homie.

TMZ Hip Hop has obtained some pretty shocking footage ... which we're told shows the Cash Money honcho and some goons literally dropping in and violently confronting Druski and co. at a studio session that the viral star was in late Friday night here in L.A.

Check it out ... you can see Birdman and his two friends facing off with Druski in a stairwell, and things get heated quickly -- with Baby apparently even attempting to put hands on Dru.

A minor scuffle ensues, and Druski and his pals go tumbling down the stairs as they try to escape ... making a run for it and beelining it through the halls of the studio -- with Birdman in close pursuit. We're told Dru had just finished filming for his reality show, "Coulda Been House," when this happened ... and from the looks of it, Birdman caught wind of it.

It would also appear that Birdman took something with him from all this ... namely, Druski's chain -- which he proudly flashed on social media afterward, writing ... "Surprise Party B*tch Slippin In Studio Richgang." Druski hasn't addressed the incident on any of his platforms.

Of course, the question here is ... is this real or fake??? Frankly, we're not even sure -- because this "beef" between Druski and Birdman has been walking the line of fact and fiction for a while, and Birdman himself certainly seems to think they have actual problems.

It all stems from this "Coulda Been Records" venture ... which has echoes of Birdman's Cash Money Records, right down to style and design of the logo. From the jump, Baby has made clear he does not approve -- this even though Druski has explained it's all for laughs.

That apparently doesn't matter to Birdman, who has repeatedly faced off with Druski (virtually) telling him to back down ... oftentimes in a pretty threatening way ... which seems legit.

El constante troleo de Druski a Birdman parece que finalmente le está pasando la cuenta, o al menos eso parece al ver este material de vigilancia que muestra al ejecutivo "tirándose encima" de su compañero.

TMZ Hip Hop obtuvo algunas imágenes bastante impactantes que, según nos dicen, muestran al líder de Cash Money y algunos matones, literalmente, cayendo sobre y enfrentándose violentamente con Druski y compañía en una sesión de estudio en la que estuvo la estrella viral la noche del viernes en Los Ángeles.

Echa un vistazo al video, en él se puede ver a Birdman y a sus dos amigos frente a frente con Druski en una escalera, y las cosas se calientan rápidamente, con Baby aparentemente incluso tratando de poner las manos sobre Dru.

Una pelea menor sobreviene, y Druski y sus amigos se caen por las escaleras a medida que tratan de escapar. Luego hacen una carrera por los pasillos del estudio, mientras Birdman los persigue de cerca. Nos dicen que Dru acababa de terminar el rodaje de su reality show, "Coulda Been House", cuando esto sucedió y por lo que parece, Birdman se enteró.

También parece que Birdman se salió con la suya hasta cierto punto, pues se quedó con la cadena de Druski que mostró con orgullo en las redes sociales después, escribiendo: "Surprise Party B*tch Slippin In Studio Richgang". Druski no se ha referido al incidente en ninguna de sus plataformas.

Por supuesto, la pregunta es, ¿es esto real o falso? Francamente, ni siquiera estamos seguros porque esta "bronca" entre Druski y Birdman ha estado rozando la línea de la realidad y la ficción por un tiempo, aunque parece que Birdman ciertamente piensa que sus problemas son reales.

Todo se deriva de la empresa "Coulda Been Records", que tiene ciertos ecos de Cash Money Records de Birdman, hasta el estilo y el diseño del logotipo. Desde su estrellato, Baby ha dejado claro que no lo aprueba, a pesar de que Druski ha explicado que todo es para reírse.

Al parecer eso no le importa a Birdman, quien se ha enfrentado en repetidas ocasiones con Druski (virtualmente) diciéndole que no siga adelante, a menudo de una manera bastante amenazante, lo que parece legítimo.

The Iceman won't be showing his icicle on OnlyFans anytime soon ... 'cause even though fellow former UFC fighter Paige VanZant is making a killing by ditching her clothes, Chuck Liddell tells TMZ Sports he's simply not about that life.

PVZ has been making a fortune on the subscription platform ... recently revealing she raked in more dough in one day than she did throughout her whole MMA career.

We spoke with the former champ out at LAX this week about Paige's thriving new venture ... and he's thrilled for the fighter-turned-model.

"That's awesome, that's good for her. I'm excited for her," Chuck told us. "I'm glad she's doing it. She's a cool girl."

While Liddell has nothing but love for Paige, he says he won't be following in her feet pics footprints.

"No, but thank you, though," Chuck said with a laugh.

All silliness aside, we talked about UFC 295 and the big matchup between Jiří Procházka and Alex Pereira ... and he spills on who he's got in the interim light heavyweight bout.