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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."

American actor Ryan Merriman was only 15 years old when he was cast as Ben Cooper -- the family's caretaker (following the death of his mother) who hacks into a contest and wins a virtual smart-house -- in the Disney film "Smart House" back in 1999.

Merriman shared the big screen with Katey Sagal as the virtual assistant who runs the Smart House, Pat, Katie Volding as Ryan's little sister, Angie, and Kevin Kilner as the recent widower, Nick.

Ryan also played the role of Kyle Johnson in Disney's "The Luck Of The Irish" and Adam Eddington in "A Ring Of Endless Light."

Three crew members who say they were on the scene when Alec Baldwin shot Halyna Hutchins have just filed a new lawsuit ... claiming it was a tragedy waiting to happen.

Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin and Reese Price -- who say they were the dolly operator, set costumer and key grip on "Rust," respectively -- are suing Alec and the "Rust" production at large ... claiming they were 3 of 7 people in the church set the day the shooting happened.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the plaintiffs say there were countless safety protocols that were overlooked from the top down through the entire shoot ... which they insist led up to the killing, and which they allege rocked them to their core -- emotionally and otherwise.

For instance, the three crew members place a lot of the blame on what they claim was the producers' decision to use "operable firearms" during 17 of the 21 scheduled film days ... despite the option to use alternatives like replicas, rubber prop guns, or special effects.  They also point out many alleged safety shortcuts on set ... like not properly investigating previous accidental discharges that they say occurred prior to that fateful day.

Not just that, but the crew members say Alec and others screwed the pooch with the hiring of armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, even though they say she "lacked essential experience."

The lawsuit also alleges Dave Halls cut corners when it came to safety protocols. And yet, they say Alec plowed ahead with them anyway ... all of which led to the death of Hutchins in 2021.

Speaking of the incident ... the plaintiffs describe it here too. They claim Gutierrez-Reed told Halls that she hadn't had a chance to check the gun before handing it off to him and that Halls took it and told AB it was "cold," without checking. Ditto for Alec, they say.

When Halyna and director, Joel Souza were hit by the bullet during a tech rehearsal -- the crew members allege they were forced to spring into action and assist, which they say haunts them to this day and has left them traumatized. Now, they're suing for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress ... and asking for unspecified damages.

Just as the theme song mentioned, your friends will be there for you, which is exactly why Courteney Cox had her closest gal pals from "Friends" by her side while getting honored in Hollywood.

Courteney was gifted her star on the Walk of Fame Monday, and costars Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow were in attendance for the big day -- gracing her and the audience with a fantastic joint speech all about Courteney.

The 2 compared their decades-long friendship to sisters, with Jennifer joking that 30 years since they first met must be a typo -- and no, it isn't.

Jennifer added Courteney has also been an "inclusive, warm, loving" person, noting she was pretty nervous when she first met her -- considering herself a "huge fan." Lisa even hilariously called Courteney the only person in the cast that was famous.

Lisa lovingly mentioned Courteney was the reason the ensemble was so tight all those years ... the star of honor also spoke about her time on the hit sitcom, saying everyone went through so much together -- adding there was no jealousy, only support.

Zac Stacy will spend more time behind bars for attacking his ex-girlfriend on two separate occasions in 2021 ... the former NFL running back was just sentenced to six months in jail in the cases.

An Orange County, Fla. judge made the ruling in a courtroom on Monday evening, according to WESH 2 News ... also sentencing the 31-year-old to one year of probation.

Stacy had initially been accused of getting violent with the mother of his child, Kristin Evans, in mid-August 2021 -- when he allegedly flew into a violent rage over rent money.

Evans said in court documents Stacy "physically assaulted me several times because he wanted the money back he gave me for our rent."

She added, "He punched my legs, slapped me, picked me up by my arms, and threw me into my window, which broke. I had glass in my feet that I removed myself."

Evans provided TMZ Sports photos of the injuries she says she suffered in the alleged attack ... showing large bruises and cuts on her body.

Three months later, in mid-November, Stacy was involved in another incident ... this time captured on camera punching Evans in the head, before slamming her into a television ... all while their months-old son sat feet away.

Stacy was hit with multiple charges over the two incidents -- but reached deals with prosecutors earlier this month ... agreeing to plead guilty to one count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery and two counts of misdemeanor criminal mischief.

No rock, but Ben Affleck was recently caught between a couple of REALLY hard places ... doing his best to get his fancy car out and on its way in a hilariously relatable video.

Ben and his Mercedes-Benz were subject to a super tight squeeze Monday in Brentwood, CA ... crammed between 2 other parked cars along a curb. You can see him smoking a cig with his Dunkin' on the top of the car before working on his escape.

We've all been there, and you gotta admit it's pretty infuriating ... and, as Ben goes back and forth in this spot, he hits the car up front a few times before pulling away -- whoops.

As we reported, this isn't the actor's first bout of trouble behind the wheel ... he and Jen were pulling into a Starbucks in West. L.A. last year as a sign got stuck in his back rim. Luckily, a couple of paps jumped in to save the day.

Ben's son, Samuel also go into a fender bender last year -- hopping into the driver's seat of a Lambo and accidentally reversing it into a white BMW.

Mark Wahlberg could've foreseen the awkward moment that unfolded live at the SAG Awards -- courtesy of his ugly criminal history with 2 Asian men -- so says one writer, who cringed upon seeing it.

We talked to Jeff Yang, an Asian-American WSJ columnist, who was one of many who commented on the Wahlberg moment Sunday -- and he told us MW was simply the wrong guy to present the cast of "Everything Everywhere All at Once" the final statuette of the night.

The reason ... back when Mark was a teenager in Boston, he pled guilty to assaulting 2 Vietnamese immigrants as he and others shouted racial epithets. He was convicted and served 45 days behind bars.

In light of that terrible stain, JY says Mark should've had better intuition and turned down the gig ... especially considering 'EEAAO' was considered a lock to win, and because it obviously wouldn't look good onstage -- which, according to the vast majority, it didn't.

Jeff does say it's possible Mark simply didn't know 'Everywhere' would win ... and if he did, perhaps he took the presenter job as an unspoken olive branch to the AAPI community.

While it's certainly plausible, Jeff tells us he truly doesn't think it's likely -- and that this was probably a tone-deaf decision on everyone's part ... especially because, in Jeff's mind, Mark hasn't really gone out of his way to correct the brutal wrong from his teen years.

Worth noting ... he has issued apologies, including back in 2014, when he unsuccessfully tried to get pardon.

More alligators have been removed from the Florida retirement community where an elderly was attacked and killed ... with additional searches underway.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rep tells TMZ ... two additional gators have been yanked from water at Spanish Lakes Fairways in Fort Pierce since last week's deadly incident ... and not just that, but we're told they'll probably be killed.

The FFWCC rep notes there've been a total of 5 gator complaints that a licensed nuisance alligator trapper (NAT) is currently working at the community.

The way they gauge which ones they'll go after and which ones they'll leave be is based on the public safety risk these animals might pose ... and, for now, only three of them have been taken out.

Remember, we'd been told by a neighbor at Spanish Lakes that ALL of the gators were being fished out of the surrounding lakes and ponds there ... and it certainly sounds like they're on the hunt for more.

Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the infamous college admissions scandal, just checked himself into prison ... where he was sentenced to spend the next 3 and a half years behind bars.

A rep for the Federal Bureau of Prisons tells TMZ ... Singer arrived at the Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in FL Monday to begin serving his 42-month sentence.

As we reported, Singer was the man behind countless parents spending big bucks to grease the wheels for their kids to get into high-end colleges ... including big names like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman.

He was given his 3.5-year sentence at the beginning of the year, although prosecutors had been gunning for 6 years in prison -- saying he profited off the scheme more than anyone else involved and should get hit with a heavier sentence.

Regardless, his sentence was nothing like what it could've been ... because he initially was looking at a max sentence of 65 years, although it's clear his cooperation with the feds helped shave some time off.

Michael B. Jordan has done the inevitable -- linking up with Calvin Klein for a good old-fashioned underwear campaign, and all we can say ... yeah, it's about time.

The actor is the new face of the famed clothing brand's Spring 2023 collection, posing for a series of photos where he's stripped down to nothing but a pair of boxer-briefs (in a variety of colors, it seems) ... and looking chiseled in all black and white, a classic CK aesthetic.

As you can see, MBJ is in great shape (per usual) ... and the timing of this is actually perfect -- right ahead of his third "Creed" movie, where he's also bulked up and shirtless a lot.

Like we said, this was probably a long time coming ... and, frankly, we're surprised the collab didn't happen sooner. Mike's been a Hollywood hunk for years now -- and Calvin's always flocking to the latest hot body in town for a photo shoot.

Here's the thing, though ... as good-looking as Michael certainly is, he might not actually be the best new thing (eye candy-wise) around anymore. His boxing costar, Jonathan Majors, is taking the town by storm lately in equally steamy shots -- and the dude is blowing up.

JM is the face of a lot of campaigns these days ... often in as little clothes as possible. Makes sense -- his physique is top-notch (body-builder status, actually) -- and it seems movie studio execs can't get enough of him. Jon's been cast in a lot these past few years.

The Chiefs' Super Bowl party is STILL raging on ... this time Travis Kelce and his K.C. teammates hit up a Vegas hot spot to commemorate their big victory -- and at one point during the festivities, the star tight end hosed down clubgoers with six liters of bubbly!!

Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and others traveled to Sin City on Friday to keep celebrating their win over the Eagles -- and as you can see in pics and vids, they got after it.

At XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas, the football players were welcomed by a VIP experience -- which included an LED drumline, a six-tiered football-themed cake, and Chiefs-colored confetti.

They eventually took the stage and partied yet again with The Chainsmokers ... before Kelce was handed a massive bottle of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Gold Brut -- that he proceeded to spray all over everyone on the dance floor.

Mahomes, meanwhile, was spotted with his own expensive booze too -- walking around the club with a bottle of Don Julio 1942.

TMZ Sports has learned the party went on for hours -- before it ultimately came to an end at around 3:30 AM.

Of course, the Chiefs are no doubt used to late-night boozy celebrations at this point -- they've been going hard ever since beating Philadelphia in SB LVII on Feb. 12.

Maino was caught in 4K disciplining popular YouTuber, Buba100x after one too many questions about his chain ... but the Brooklyn rapper is claiming it was all for clicks and views!!!

The melee went down at the Daniel's Leather fashion show earlier this month ... as Buba100x and Maino were conducting his typical TikTok style of interviews.

Buba100x made a crack about "beating Maino's ass" ... which immediately aged terribly when the Brooklyn rapper grabbed the jokester by his throat after his fuse was lit!!!

Further footage shows Maino pinning Buba100x down by his neck while reminding him of the consequences of ruffling his feathers!!!

Maino's co-hosting on Angela Yee's new show 'Way Up' this week ... and there's no way they were ignoring this topic, which was addressed head-on.

Maino claims he was 100% acting in the clip and wanted to sell the prank by making it look real with his angry emotions.

A Virginia girls high school basketball coach snapped on a spectator during a game last week -- climbing into the stands to grab and shove the man ... and the wild outburst was all captured on video.

The incident happened at the end of the Richlands contest against Wise Central on Feb. 23 ... when Richlands coach Tom Rife went after a man behind his team's bench.

You can see in broadcast footage of the game, the person in the white T-shirt appeared to say things to Rife ... which set the coach off.

Rife jumped over some chairs and put his hands around the man's shirt. He later seemed to shove him repeatedly -- while calling for others to intervene.

He was ultimately pulled away by others -- and Richlands went on to lose the game, 54-51.

Tazewell County Public Schools Dr. Christopher Stacy said in a statement a day after the incident they've launched an investigation into it all.

Hayden Panettiere has broken her silence on the death of her younger brother, Jansen, thanking everyone for their love and also revealing how they're told he died.

In a statement to ABC News Monday, the Panettiere family says, "Though it offers little solace, the Medical Examiner reported Jansen’s sudden passing was due to cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), coupled with aortic valve complications."

They continue, "We sincerely appreciate the outpouring of love and support towards our family as we navigate this unthinkable loss, and ask that we be gifted our privacy during this time of mourning," the family said. "We love you so much Jansen and you will be in our hearts forever."

TMZ broke the story, Panettiere was found dead inside his apartment in Nyack last weekend. According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, the 28-year-old's friends became alarmed after he no-showed a business meeting.

Jansen's friends raced over to this apartment, found him unresponsive in a chair and started CPR, but it was too late.

Jennifer Coolidge gave a tearful speech accepting SAG's Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor award for "White Lotus," confessing a lie her otherwise honest father once told was the inspiration for her career.

JC is collecting more hardware than ACE this year, and each time she wins she gives a memorable speech, and this was no exception.

The 61-year-old explained how her parents were honest to a fault ... she was sobbing so hard, it was hard to know where the story was going. But she explained her dad told a lie that proved to be life-changing for her.

It was simple ... telling the school principal she was ill when she was not. The purpose ... her dad wanted Jen to experience the Charlie Chaplin film festival, and, as she said, "I swear to God, seeing Charlie Chaplin for the first time, and having that experience - it's my love of film, it's my love of actors, all of that came from my first grade."

Drake is looking back at his entry into Lil Wayne's Young Money Records camp with fondness -- considering their relationship hit the ground so fast, they didn't even get properly introduced!!!

During his Turks and Caicos convo with Lil Yachty, Drake admitted Wayne first thought his name was "Drizzy Drake Rogers" when he rapped it on one of their collaborations ... the 2008 track "Ransom."

Rogers is actually the name of one of Canada's top internet providers and Wayne thought that was Drake's last name, seeing they were sending tracks via email.

When "Ransom" dropped, Drake says he realized the error but didn't have the heart to correct his mentor.

They went on to record plenty of successful collabs following the flub -- both recently earning a spot in the Top 10 of Billboard's Top 50 rappers list, although Wayne largely disagrees with his ranking.

The YM stars were weirdly placed next to each other ... Drake at #8 and Wayne at #7 ... but Wayne recently told Apple Music not Jay-Z, Eminem or even the late greats Tupac and Biggie should be considered better than him!!!