MMA

If Jake Paul and Tommy Fury don't run it back, there's one guy who's already lining up to be TNT's next boxing opponent ... and it's none other than Logan Paul.

Logan expressed his wishes in a sit-down interview with the Problem Child on the "BS W/ Jake Paul" podcast (recorded the day after the Fury fight) ... and he admitted the result had him wanting to, as their mom put it, "kill that kid."

Logan initially asked Jake what he was planning to do in the ring following the loss ... and he made it clear he wants a rematch with Tyson's little bro.

But if Paul vs. Fury II doesn't work out ... Logan's ready to step in and avenge the family name.

"If you don't [have a rematch], I'd like to handle that," Logan told Jake. "That was like, my first instinct, obviously."

"He's my little brother. F*** that. Inflatable arm ass, motherf***er. F***."

Jake then joked that they could both avenge each other's losses if he were to go up against the Maverick's former nemesis, KSI ... and they could "start an Avenger movie."

But as of right now, it sounds like Tommy will grant Jake a rematch ... and the two will add another installment to their rivalry.

There's more in the interview -- Jake said he predicts the Tommy fight had more than half a MILLION Pay-Per-View buys ... which would explain his claim he made $30 million for one night of work.

Mike Perry says Jake Paul's trainer was livid he posted a fake "script" purporting to break down what'd happen during each round of Paul vs. Fury ... telling TMZ Sports he received an angry message in his DMs.

Once Perry shared the document titled "Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury Script - Revision #4 - Final" with his hundreds of thousands of followers, it went viral. The script indicated Jake would beat Tommy Fury by TKO in the 8th round of their fight.

Obviously, that's not what happened (Fury beat Paul via split decision). Still, the script played into the conspiracy theorists' narrative that Jake's fights aren't real, and that clearly ticked off his team. The timing didn't help, either. It was released just hours before the fight and caused a headache for all involved.

"It was an Instagram post I think my buddy sent me," Perry said, explaining how he wound up with the script.

"I tweeted it and it's probably my best tweet of all time, probably. It got a lot of attention. People talked a lot of trash on me for it. Whatever."

But, Mike says it wasn't just Jake's fans that were angry, but also people close to the Problem Child.

"Jake's coach wrote me and was upset about his reputation," Perry says, explaining how Paul's coach made the case they always treated the former UFC star with respect.

But, Mike doesn't see the situation the same way.

"Ya know I was thinking, well, Jake never cared about my reputation when he posted a video of what I said to him at practice, trying to coach him up and be a part of the team, and give him that work. And he put that [training footage] out there," Perry countered, referencing Jake's decision to post training footage where Paul got the best of Perry while sparring.

We asked Mike how he responded to Jake's trainer BJ Flores -- whom Perry implies was the coach who sent the message.

"I didn't really respond to his coach's messages. I didn't respond to it. I just kind of looked past it. It's part of the game."

FYI, Flores is Jake's head coach and was a respected boxer in his own right. In fact, BJ fought for a cruiserweight world title in 2016.

Despite the drama, MP says ... "I like BJ Flores," but clearly he has no regrets about posting the script.

"The script was hilarious, it was funny, I guess just a joke."

We also talked to Mike about his thoughts on the actual fight (he says he wasn't very impressed with either boxer), and whether he has any interest in fighting Jake and/or Tommy.

"I could beat either one of those guys. Maybe they're not ready for me, and someone of my experience," while making it clear he's open if fans want to see either bout.

All trash talk aside (and there's been a good deal of it), Ciryl Gane says he's a competitor and that's why he's so amped for his fight against the "G.O.A.T." Jon Jones.

"I love this sport. Yes, it's my job, but first I'm a competitor, When I lost my fight against Francis [Ngannou], I was really not happy," 32-year-old Gane told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1), adding, "So yes, I'm gonna test myself with the G.O.A.T., and this is a pleasure for me."

"When you have a fight and you don't have any challenge, that's not exciting. Today I have a big challenge so I'm really excited about that."

Gane, 11-1, is coming off a KO victory over Tai Tuivasa in September, and will now fight 35-year-old Jones at UFC 285 this weekend. It'll be Jon's first fight in the heavyweight division, and his first time in an Octagon for a sanctioned fight in over 3 years (he last fought/beat Dominick Reyes on Feb. 8, 2020, at UFC 247).

We've seen Jon fight in a cage 28 times as a professional, but never as a man this big ... so we asked Ciryl how he believes the added weight will affect Jones.

"I think [Jon's] gonna be less faster than before. He's really normal. When my weight was around [220 to 231 lbs.], I was a little bit faster. So yes, for sure, 100% he's gonna be a little bit less but for a heavyweight, he's gonna have speed."

Jon's been critical of Ciryl's resume in the Octagon ... going at everything from the quality of his opponents to his wrestling ability. We asked Gane if he was bothered by Jones' comments.

"No [laughs]. No matter what he say, I'm not really on the game. I know there's guys sometimes that wanna get in your head but for me, it's not personal. I'm gonna do my performance. I'm gonna do my job, I'm gonna do my sport."

Tommy Fury is back on his home turf -- the boxing star just touched down in London following his huge win over Jake Paul ... and he's putting his new belt on full display.

Tommy, Tyson and John made their way through the airport on Monday ... and the Furys were happy as could be, posing for pics and meeting with fans.

It's been a wild 24 hours for the Fury fam -- Tommy went 8 rounds with Jake and earned the split decision win in Saudi Arabia ... and they've been celebrating ever since.

Aside from a bandage over his right eye, Tommy looks pretty clean ... and he appears to be in good health.

Tyson was turning heads going through the airport, too ... but his hot pink luggage might be responsible for that.

After the fight, Tommy said he was eager to spend time with Molly-Mae Hague and their newborn daughter, Bambi ... and now that he's back home, we're sure some much-needed R&R is on the horizon.

As for Jake, he's bummed about the loss ... but he can wipe his tears with the $30 million he claimed to make off the fight.

Jake Paul beats Tommy Fury by TKO in the 8th round?! That's what a so-called leaked "script," burning up social media, claims will happen Sunday afternoon ... the only caveat is TMZ Sports is told it's completely fake!

The one-page document is titled "Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury Script - Revision #4 - Final" ... and breaks down what will (supposedly) happen in each round of the highly anticipated fight.

For example, round 1 reads ... "the fighters start off cautiously, circling each other and throwing jabs. Jake Paul lands a solid left hook, but Tommy Fury responds with a quick right hand."

Fury will begin to have trouble with his eye in the 4th round, per the script. By the 5th, the document says Tommy's eye will be so badly damaged it's nearly closed.

Then, in the 8th ... "Paul lands a huge right hand that sends Fury crashing to the canvas. Fury tries to get up, but he stumbles and falls back down. The referee starts the count, but Fury stays on the ground, clutching his eye."

"The ringside doctor rushes in to check on Fury, but he waves him away. Tommy shall then act out an eye injury that forces the referee to call off the fight, declaring Jake Paul the winner by TKO."

The problem ... multiple people associated with the fight/fighters are adamant the "script" is completely fabricated, fake, nonsense.

There do appear to be multiple inconsistencies. The document was produced by "Troop Boxing", which doesn't seem to actually exist. Further, the word "Boxing" in Troop's logo is a stock image available on the internet.

Also, Paul vs. Fury is a professional, sanctioned boxing match ... and fixing fights is illegal. Prison time kinds of illegal.

It also begs the question ... how would you fake an eye injury serious enough to cause a fight stoppage?

Nonetheless, the leaked script has many fans in a frenzy.

It feeds into the conspiracy theories that Jake's fights are fixed ... popular amongst boxing fans who refuse to give the 6-0 fighter any credit, despite beating the likes of future UFC Hall of Famers Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva.

Jake and Tommy are scheduled to fight in a matter of hours ... and it's probably safe to say the fight won't be stopped by the referee in the 8th over an eye injury (though, if it does, Drake won't be mad).

Drake's picking sides in the Jake Paul - Tommy Fury feud, placing a bet on The Problem Child to knockout TNT ... and judging by the massive size of the wager, Drizzy's feelin' confident the 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer will turn out Fury's lights.

Drake posted the Stake betting slip on social media Saturday night ... and he's risking $400,000. In order for the superstar rapper to cash out, Jake can't just win the fight, he must KO Tommy (in any round). If that scenario actually unfolds, Drake would receive $1.4 million ... which included his initial bet ($400k).

The payout's so large because statistically, it's a longshot ... the odds say there's a less than 30% chance the fight ends by Paul KO.

FYI, Jake's 6-0 ... and 4 of those fights have ended by KO. Tommy's also undefeated ... and obviously has never been stopped.

Drake's no stranger to making huge wagers. In fact, he bet $965k total on the Super Bowl ... and while he didn't hit on all his bets, he did pretty well. He's also bets heaps of money on UFC fights.

While the rappers riding with Jake, Tyson Fury is (obviously) siding with his brother. The heavyweight champion revealed earlier this week he put down over $100K on Tommy to win by stoppage.

"I've got 100 racks on it for an inside-the-distance stoppage, so if [Tommy] loses, then I'll lose 100 bags as well," Fury told iFL TV.

Jake and Tommy also made a bet during fight week (though, we'll see if it comes to fruition). If Jake wins the fight, he gets Tommy's money. If Fury wins, Jake double his money.

Bets aside, Paul and Fury flat-out hate each other ... and Sunday's fight is the culmination of years of trash talk. The men were supposed to scrap on two previous occasions, but Tommy pulled out -- once for injury, and the other over a travel issue.

Jon Jones' family is filled with Super Bowl champs, but the UFC superstar tells TMZ Sports he had zero chance of having a career on the football field -- 'cause he said he "absolutely sucked" at the sport.

Of course, Jones' older brother, Arthur, played 8 seasons as a defensive tackle for the Ravens, Colts, and Commanders ... and his younger bro, Chandler, currently plays defensive end for the Raiders.

With that being said, football is clearly in the Jones DNA ... so when we asked Jon if he could have followed in their footsteps, Bones made no bones about it -- he was ass.

"I absolutely sucked on the football field," Jones told us. "I was no good at all. I didn't play until my senior year [of high school]. I was always on the team, but I never got to play.

Jones -- who holds a 26-1 record in the UFC -- says he just didn't get the Xs and Os, coverages, or play calling behind the game ... and playing Madden didn't help either.

"I sucked at football. I made a hell of a benchwarmer, though," Jones said.

But, don't feel bad for the guy -- Jones ended up becoming one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever ... and he's back in the Octagon on March 4 to face 11-1 Ciryl Gane -- his first fight in over 3 years.

"A lot of people wanted to take a warm-up fight," Jones said. "I'm going right at one of the best talents the UFC has ever seen."

Erin Blanchfield isn't looking to prove herself worthy of a title fight ... she straight up believes she's a superior fighter to Valentina Shevchenko, telling TMZ Sports she plans to dethrone the current champ.

"[Valentina] can be taken down, she can be controlled on the ground and I think my jiu-jitsu is even better. I know I could fight with her anywhere. I'm confident in my striking and my wrestling and my jitsu," 23-year-old Blanchfield, fresh off an impressive 2nd round submission win over Jessica Andrade, told us this week.

The #3 ranked UFC flyweight then continued ... "I think just putting my whole game together, I think I'm more well-rounded in that sense where I can put it all together better and that I'll find that win whenever I can."

We asked Erin if she believes she's done enough to secure a fight for the belt.

"Oh, definitely. I think I've proved myself after this last weekend and I definitely want that title shot next."

Blanchfield vs. Shevchenko is the fight so many fans want to see, but Valentina has business to take care of beforehand. The 34-year-old champion is fighting 29-year-old Alexa Grasso at UFC 285 on March 4 ... where she's a heavy favorite (-600).

FYI, Shevchenko only has 3 losses in her entire career ... and 2 were to Amanda Nunes (some fans feel VS won 1 of the fights). Valentina hasn't lost since 2017 (and hasn't lost to anyone not named Nunes since 2010!). Blanchfield only has one loss on her ledger (in 2019) ... and has an 11-1 record in MMA (5-0 in UFC).

Erin tells us she's rooting for Shevchenko because a loss would almost certainly guarantee a rematch of the 285 scrap between the women, and EB isn't trying to wait. Not to mention, she'd like to be the woman to dethrone the future Hall of Famer.

"I definitely want Valentina to win. I wanna be the one to take that belt from her. She's been a super dominant champ, she's very skilled and having that prestige of taking a belt from someone like Valentina is definitely what I want."

As for how she thinks a fight with the current champ would go ... Blanchfield sees herself winning by any means necessary.

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

The Gervonta 'Tank' Davis vs. Ryan Garcia super fight -- which boxing fans have been begging for -- is finally happening on April 22 ... and it's set to go in Las Vegas!

Tank (28-0, 26 KOs) confirmed the news on Friday by tweeting, "April 22, 2023 Las Vegas It’s on!  #DavisGarcia GOOOOO."

The venue for the highly-anticipated fight is not yet public, but that's irrelevant ... bottom line, Tank and Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) agreed to fight at a catch weight of 136 pounds for a 12-round non-title fight.

It will be a Showtime Pay-Per-View event, in partnership with Al Haymon's PBC, Golden Boy Promotions, and DAZN ... who all worked together to make it happen, according to TalkSport's Michael Benson.

The fight's been years in the making ... and the heat's been ratcheted up, especially lately. Both fighters have gone back and forth, talking crap to one another.

Many fans assumed the fight would never happen (and some still don't believe it will), but Oscar De La Hoya told us in April he was very optimistic about the fight not only happening, but RG easily winning, saying ... "Ryan Garcia wants to knock him out so bad. He's calling it in two rounds."

"Both guys are in their prime. Both guys are undefeated. It's gonna be a great fight," ODLH told us at the time.

But, not everyone expects Ryan to win. In fact, pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez recently told us he expects Tank to win ... citing his experience.

WWE Superstar Carmella is opening up, talking about the ectopic pregnancy that forced her hiatus from the company ... revealing the situation was so severe, she could've lost her life.

Carmella joined her husband, Corey Graves and his podcast partner, Kevin Patrick on CG's 'After The Bell' podcast ... where she went into detail about the traumatic experience, explaining how the terrible situation forced her into a "deep depression."

"It was so difficult," Carmella recalled of the October 2022 miscarriage.

"It’s insane because not only am I in the emergency room for this crazy medical condition that we have to monitor closely, I was on bed rest for four weeks straight, I couldn’t do anything."

"I’m also processing the loss of our baby. It was a double whammy," the WWE Superstar told Corey and Patrick.

Carmella says she was in a dark place after the medical emergency.

"I was in a deep depression for a while. It was really hard. I felt it was necessary for me to share my story. Even though I had you [Corey], I had my family, I had never felt so alone because it’s like blaming yourself. ‘What did I do wrong?' 'How could I have prevented this?’ It turns out there is nothing I could have done."

FYI, an ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside of the uterus (as opposed to inside the uterus during a healthy pregnancy) usually in a fallopian tube, according to the Mayo Clinic. Ectopic pregnancies cannot proceed, and as Carmella said, can be fatal for the mother.

Carmella -- the 2017 Money in the Bank Women's ladder match winner -- admitted she questioned whether she'd ever feel good again following the tragedy.

"It was a very difficult time and it felt like, my return was up in the air, I didn’t know. 'Am I ever going to go back to work?' 'Am I ever going to feel okay?' 'Am I ever going to feel good enough to get off the damn couch and put some makeup on and feel good about myself?'"

"Luckily, we’re here and on the other side, but it was definitely a difficult journey."

Aside from scores of family and friends helping her reach the other side, Carmella says there was one person in particular who went above and beyond ... Stephanie McMahon.

"I’m gonna get emotional thinking about it. She was so supportive of me through all of it. Reached out to me several times, we had several phone conversations about it."

Carmella says she will be "forever grateful" for what the WWE exec and daughter of Vince McMahon did for her, saying "not only does she preach women empowerment, she practices it."

Carmella made her long-awaited return to WWE earlier this month.

There's a ton of money at stake when Jake Paul and Tommy Fury enter the ring on Sunday ... 'cause the two boxers just agreed to a hefty bet that could leave one of them without a dime!!

The Problem Child proposed the deal during their pre-fight press conference minutes ago ... saying if TNT wins, he will double his purse -- but if Jake is victorious, he gets EVERYTHING.

The deal was solidified with a handshake ... and Jake said he even had his lawyers draft up the paperwork beforehand to prove he's 100% serious.

A brief scuffle ensued ... with Jake and Tommy getting in each other's faces before being separated.

"You're a s***house," Tommy said during the altercation. "You are full of s***, you little bitch. I'll put you out inside the first round."

Jake then addressed the crowd ... saying, "You heard that, ladies and gentlemen ... it's a deal!!"

It's a risky bet for sure ... as Jake has previously claimed the fight will be the biggest payday of Tommy's career.

The rest of the presser was also filled with the usual back and forth ... but one change of tune came when Fury's dad, John -- who previously unleashed a ton of trash talk toward Jake -- was really complimentary of Paul and all he's accomplished at a young age.

Jake has been known to make friendly wagers in the past ... like when Tyron Woodley had to get "I love Jake Paul" tattooed on him after their fight in 2021.

Jon Jones hasn't yet gotten his feet wet in the UFC's heavyweight division, but he's already eyeing the weight class top dogs ... telling TMZ Sports he wants Stipe Miocic after he fights Ciryl Gane next month.

Jones told us he feels a tilt with the former champ could help "solidify my legacy" ... adding that if he wants to be known as one of the fight game's G.O.A.T.s -- he's got to beat the best to do it.

"People consider him the greatest heavyweight of all time," Jones said of Miocic. "The opportunity to compete against such a man, I'd be honored."

"The opportunity to beat such a guy would be truly something special."

Of course, 35-year-old Jones has to get through Gane first in order to get that opportunity -- and he tells us it won't be an easy task.

The 26-1 fighter called Gane "one of the best talents the UFC has ever seen."

"I got a huge, huge order ahead of me," Jones said.

If Jones does get through Gane at UFC 285 on March 4, though ... Miocic sure seems down to get in the Octagon with him.

The 40-year-old tweeted right after the Gane vs. Jones matchup was initially revealed last month "I got winner in July."

Former UFC star Nate Marquardt is in the crosshairs of the LGBTQ community ... after he tweeted an anti-gay response to a commercial that showed two men kissing.

The 43-year-old, who famously knocked out Tyron Woodley in a 2012 fight, fired off the offensive comments after he said he saw the ad while watching ESPN+.

In his tweet, he said the commercial was "disgusting" and that he had to tell his kids "look away so they don't see two men kissing."

The former fighter, a devout Christian, added a throwing up emoji.

Immediately, the ex-Strikeforce Welterweight Champion was panned by fans for the remarks ... but he doubled down on his stance in further tweets.

As of Monday afternoon, the posts were still up on his social media page.

Francis Ngannou has a boxing legend giving him at least a chance in a fight against Tyson Fury ... with Mike Tyson telling TMZ Sports believes "anything is possible" if the two heavyweights face off in an epic matchup.

Ngannou, who recently became a combat free agent after spending more than 8 years with UFC, told us last month he's been in contact with Fury's camp about making a fight happen with the Gypsy King.

Of course, Ngannou is one of the hardest-hitting fighters in the game, but it would be his first professional boxing fight ... and going up against Fury would be a huge task for anyone, let alone a rookie pugilist.

Tyson showed a bit of optimism for The Predator when we caught up with him in LA ... giving us a simple, yet hopeful response to his chances in the ring.

Fury might already have his next opponent lined up with Oleksandr Usyk, but it's clear both sides are serious about putting ink to paper sometime soon.

Struggling to figure out who to bet on between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia? Canelo Alvarez might be able to help sway you -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks Tank wins the super fight later this year.

The guys are expected to throw hands on April 15 -- that is, if the two can finally settle their differences in heated contract negotiations -- and when we got Alvarez out at the Super Bowl last weekend ... we had to ask, who ya got?

The Mexican boxing champ told us he expects Davis -- saying simply the 28-0 fighter has "got more experience."

Don't get it twisted, though ... he's still expecting a good effort from the 23-0 Garcia.

"It's gonna be a good fight," he said.

Tank has been more active in the ring and recently secured a TKO win over Hector Garcia in Washington D.C. last month. Meanwhile, Ryan hasn't taken a fight since July 2022.

But, of course, some might think Canelo is biased in his opinion because of a beef he had with Ryan when the young fighter left his camp back in February 2022.

Canelo, though, said that's just not the case.

Cody Rhodes says his upcoming match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 is going to be a monumental moment in his career ... telling TMZ Sports he has a "tall task" ahead of him, but he hopes to finally end the Tribal Chief's run as WWE Universal Champion.

We spoke with the American Nightmare ahead of the huge event at SoFi Stadium in April ... and he has nothing for respect for his opponent, saying, "there's nobody better than Roman, there truly isn't."

Despite all the love for the Head of the Table, Rhodes tells us he's going to do whatever it takes to dethrone the guy who's had the title since August 2020.

"If you're in the spot you want to make sure you get the job done," said Rhodes, a former WWE Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion.

Rhodes earned the opportunity to fight Roman after winning the Royal Rumble match in January ... and he says the match means a lot to him because nobody in his family has ever headlined WrestleMania before.

Rhodes, the son of Hall of Famer, Dusty Rhodes and half-brother of Dustin, says a win would provide a bit of closure for his family ... while starting a brand new chapter.

Last June, Cody defeated Seth Rollins with a torn pectoral muscle ... but the injury sidelined him for 7 months, setting the stage for his triumphant return at the Royal Rumble.

Rhodes will try to do what no man has done at WrestleMania, pin Reigns ... but first Roman has a date with Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber before he can get to Cody.