Celebrity Feuds

Khabib Nurmagomedov is a bigger star than Conor McGregor -- so says his manager -- and therefore deserves MORE MONEY than Conor ... which he why he wants at least $50 mil for his next fight.

We spoke with Ali Abdelaziz who argues Khabib has become a "global superstar" -- who's met with some of the most powerful leaders in the world.

Ali says Khabib's reach is bigger than ever -- and he wants UFC to come to the table with a paycheck that reflects how big of a star he's become.

"Come on, man! You have a guy meeting with Putin, [President of Turkey] Erdogan. And, the other guy selling liquor on the corner store. It's not even in the f**king same planet."

Ali says Khabib would consider a rematch with McGregor if the price is right -- but, this time, Conor will get an even worse beating.

"I really want to see [Conor] drink his own blood," Ali says ... "He talked a lot of sh*t. He didn't back it up. Embarrassed himself in front of his whole beautiful country of Ireland, his father, his mother, his wife."

10:30 AM PT – Maury tells us he’s been trying to get Cardi on his show for 6 months to talk about Offset, but now he’s certain a show with CB and Nicki would be worthy of a primetime special.

Although the rivals tweeted Tuesday morning about being "all love" ... Maury ain’t buying it. As for who would come out on top in the lie detector test -- he thinks there's plenty of guilt to go around.

He also told us he and his staff security guards are prepared for the worst ... should the ladies agree to the polygraph showdown.

If Cardi B and Nicki Minaj really want THE TRUTH, one man is prepared to give them THE TRUTH ... and his name is Maury Povich.

Maury stepped squarely into the middle of hip-hop's biggest feud with an offer to hook both rappers up to a polygraph machine ... on his show, of course. We're thinking he'd have to make it a 2-hour special though, because there's a ton of beef to slice up:

-- Did Cardi stop Offset from doing the "No Flag" video with Nicki?
-- Did Nicki's pal Rah Ali really hit Cardi instead of security at the NYFW event?
-- Did Cardi block 21 Savage from doing "Krippy Kush" with Nicki?
-- Did Nicki leak Cardi's phone number after the NYFW fight?

And, that's just scratching the surface.

After Nicki dropped a ton of accusations on her "Queen Radio" show, she immediately offered to pay for a lie detector to prove she's in the right -- but as Maury put it, "Why pay for a Lie Detector Test @NICKIMINAJ ... when mine is FREE!"

For her part, Cardi fired back at Nicki with a ton of her own tea ... so, MP saw a huge opportunity and he pounced. Shoot your shot, Maury!

So, will they accept? Nicki SAYS she's down ... no word from Cardi yet.

Of course, with so much on the line, ya gotta wonder ... can they handle THE TRUTH?

Lil Yachty says he would have his hands tied if Nicki Minaj ever wanted to get in the studio with him, 'cause his loyalty lies with Cardi B ... but it's more circumstance than choice.

Our Raquel Harper chopped it up with Yachty for Tuesday night's episode of "Raq Rants" on BET ... and he told her while he'd love to work with Nicki ... he'd have to turn her down, 'cause he and Cardi are signed to the same management team, Quality Control Music.

It sounds like Yachty doesn't want to get in the middle of CB and NM's ongoing feud -- which picked up steam again this weekend after Cardi's sis accused Nicki of leaking Cardi's number ... and Nicki reportedly offered fans $100k for footage of their fight to clear her name.

But ... if Yachty did have to pick sides, he says he's team Cardi all the way.

Cardi B and Nicki Minaj are at each other's throats again ... with Cardi threatening to beat the hell out of Nicki and pursue legal action.

Cardi was heated Monday as she ripped into Nicki during an expletive-filled tirade on social media, challenging her rival to a fight after Nicki went on her Queen Radio show and spilled more details about their infamous NYFW fight.

CB called Nicki a snitch for claiming Rah Ali beat up Cardi during last month's brawl ... adding she's tired of the back and forth, so they should settle it with their fists.

We broke the story ... Cardi attacked Nicki last month at a party during NYFW, throwing a shoe at her rival and missing before walking away with a huge knot above her eye, which Nicki now claims came from Rah.

Nicki is offering $100k to anyone who's willing to leak footage of the altercation, and said she's willing to take CB to court ... but Cardi is firing back and saying she should sue Nicki for defamation.

Derrick Lewis says he's in the best shape of his life -- he's been training 3 hours a day to go the distance with Daniel Cormier ... and predicts a KO in the last few seconds of the 5th round!

Of course, Lewis famously said his cardio was terrible after his last second victory over Alexander Volkov earlier this month (he also complained his balls were hot) ... but he's been kicking his own ass in the gym and looks super leaned out.

"I'm training 3 hours a day instead of 30 minutes," Lewis tells TMZ Sports ... "I'm prepared to go 5 rounds."

Lewis and Cormier will square off for the UFC heavyweight title on Nov. 3 at UFC 230 -- and even thought Derrick's the heavy underdog, he's advising everyone to BET MONEY ON HIM!!

"I'm the underdog just about every fight," Lewis says ... "Whoever betting on me, I'm making you money!"

So, what's next for Derrick if he wins?

UFC badass Anthony Smith wants to fight Jon Jones ... and says he's 100% sure he can take out the all-time UFC great.

Smith -- who's DESTROYED his last two opponents, Shogun Rua and Rashad Evans -- fights Volkan Oezdemir Saturday on FS1, but tells us after that fight he's got his sights on a much, much bigger face off, and that's with Jones.

"Once I go through Volkan and do what I think I'm gonna do to him. I'm gonna stomp my foot in the ground and stake my claim."

His claim -- he feels -- is to be the #1 light heavyweight in the world ... and in order to do that he's gotta go through Jones, something he says only he can do.

"I'm not afraid of Jon Jones. And, there's probably not that many people in the division that can say that," Smith tells us ... "I'm 100% not afraid of Jon Jones. And, I really believe deep down in my soul that I can beat him."

Of course, Jones has some work to do first too ... he's got a fight against badass Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 in December -- his first fight since July 2017.

This could get awesome.

Ashanti is giving 50 Cent a taste of his own medicine after he dissed her hard on social media -- labeling him a social media bully while using one of his least favorite nicknames!

We got Ashanti Thursday at LAX, and asked her about Fiddy's latest attack over a concert she recently canceled due to low ticket sales. If ya missed it, he said ... "Do basement parties then it can still feel like it's lit." Trolling. It's definitely his thing.

Aside from saying he's 100 percent a bully, Ashanti put a nice twist on her rebuttal ... refusing to call him 50 Cent. Check out the vid -- she threw major shade with a title referencing an old rumor about the G-Unit boss being a snitch.

If you thought you knew everything about the Rajon Rondo vs. Chris Paul fight, boy were you wrong ... Donnell Rawlings has the only breakdown you need to hear, and he's telling it to TMZ Sports.

We got Rawlings out in L.A. and asked him about all things Lakers, and that's when the "Chappelle's Show" star gave us a blow-by-blow, and a spit-by-spit analysis of the brawl Saturday night.

Highlights include ...

- The exact type of spit that was used, and how it affected the melee.

- How race was a factor (we know what you're thinking, you just gotta listen).

- Why the type of punch that was used meant that CP3 never had a chance.

Tracy Chapman is going after Nicki Minaj, saying she straight-up stole her song, "Baby Can I Hold You," when she recorded "Sorry."

Chapman says in June 2018, Minaj and her reps made multiple requests to license "Baby Can I Hold You" and all requests were rejected.

So imagine Tracy's surprise when "Sorry" came out in August 2018 ... it was supposed to be featured on Nicki's album, "Queen." Tracy says her song comprises half of the lyrics and vocal melody of "Sorry."

According to the suit, Funkmaster Flex played "Sorry" on Hot 97 and lots of Internet users picked up the song and sent it around. It was also played on "The Breakfast Club" with Charlamagne Tha God.

The day the track was played, Nicki tweeted, "Sis said no," which, according to the lawsuit, refers to Chapman's denial to her request to use "Baby Can I Hold You." Nicki and crew pulled the song from "Queen" and tried to make it disappear, but Tracy says the damage was done.

It was fight night at the Staples Center when players from the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets got into an intense fist fight ... marring the hometown debut of LeBron James.

It all went down Saturday night late in the 4th quarter. Lakers forward, Brandon Ingram, shoved Rockets Guard, James Harden, for which Ingram received a technical foul. Moments later, Houston PG, Chris Paul and Lakers PG Rajon Rondo began trading punches.

It is unclear why Ingram shoved Harden in the first place ... he was visibly upset and took out his frustrations on the ref after being called for the shove. The shoving continued between Rondo and Paul before Rondo threw a punch, igniting the fight.

Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram are sure to be socked with suspensions.

LeBron says he tried his best to calm things down and he didn't speak to his team after the game.

Sorry, fight fans ... Floyd Mayweather's making it clear -- the Manny Pacquiao tilt is off.

"I don't give a f*** about what's going on with Pacquiao," Floyd tells TMZ Sports.

Remember ... Floyd was singing a little different tune just a few weeks ago -- when he said, "I'm coming back to fight Manny Pacquiao this year another 9 figure pay day on the way."

But, Floyd tells us that's now off, saying, "We not going to make that happen right now. Not right now. We must take that fight and let that fight build. And then, down the line, let that fight happen."

So, what happened??

Mayweather says it's kinda complicated ... but, basically, since Pacman's now signed with Floyd's manager, Al Haymon -- they wanna go a different route.

"I think the best fight for Pacquiao -- what I told Al Haymon -- was probably the Adrien Broner fight. And then we got Errol Spence and Terence Crawford."

In the meantime ... Floyd seems sure as hell set on getting in the ring with Khabib and/or Conor McGregor.

Anderson Silva has a message for Conor McGregor -- FORGET A REMATCH WITH KHABIB and fight ME instead!

Remember, before UFC 229 earlier this month ... Conor told reporters he'd be interested in a superfight with Silva after he got through Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Obviously, the loss put a wrench in Conor's plan -- but Silva says he's still down to scrap as soon as Conor is ready to get back in the Octagon.

"I just waiting," Silva told us outside his new Spider Kick MMA gym in West Hollywood ... "I accept the challenge for Conor."

Silva says it makes perfect sense for Dana White -- "Two big names. Two big legends. And, why not?"

"It's not about money, Conor. It's about martial arts challenge."

If that can't happen, Silva says he'd still love another crack at Nick Diaz -- since their first fight in 2015 was essentially scrapped from the books, because they both tested positive for banned substances.

As for Spider's new gym, Silva says he's created a new elite facility to pass along all of his fight knowledge -- and it looks AWESOME!!!

Oscar De La Hoya believes Floyd Mayweather is angling for a rematch with Canelo Alvarez -- claiming he's a broke-ass fraud who desperately needs a money fight to stay afloat.

The head of Golden Boy Promotions was celebrating the record-breaking $365-MILLION contract he made for Canelo Alvarez ... when we asked about his rekindled beef with Floyd.

As we previously reported, Floyd dug up an old photo of Oscar on Thursday and blasted him on social media saying some pretty offensive stuff.

But, Oscar didn't seem too bothered at the Intercontinental hotel in L.A. Thursday night -- saying Floyd is simply trying to ruin Canelo's moment because he's a jealous, bitter man.

"How fair is it that Canelo announces this big monumental deal and then here you have Floyd crawling out of his little rock, trying to sabotage or trying to steal the thunder."

"That's who he is," Oscar says ... "He's a lowlife."

Oscar tells TMZ Sports ... he honestly believes Floyd has blown through his fortune and needs money in a bad way -- and he's trying to pick a fight with Canelo to goose him into making a deal.

Oscar says he'll happily make the deal -- because Canelo wants it -- but believes Floyd's too chicken to make it happen.

"Floyd, stay under your rock dude."

J Prince has a warning for Pusha T -- move on from the beef with Drake, or prepare to have your career squashed like a bug!

The Rap-A-Lot Records CEO told us Pusha's nothing more than an ant, and he issued a warning for the rapper. Some might hear that warning as more of a threat, but he says Pusha's got nothing to worry about, but only because he's not on Drake's level.

Despite the fact both Drake and Pusha have been dredging up ... J Prince assured us it's over and done.

You'll recall, Drake dredged up the old feud recently by ripping into Kanye West for betraying his confidence to Push. Then Pusha went on Joe Budden's podcast, claiming Drake's producer was the one who went all Judas to reveal Drake's secret son.

Despite the renewed jawing on both sides ... J Prince assures us the feud is dead and buried.

The feud between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather is getting extremely personal -- and nasty -- with Oscar now calling out Floyd's domestic violence conviction to humiliate him.

Floyd went after Oscar earlier Thursday -- posting an old photo of De La Hoya wearing fishnet stockings and heels -- and saying, "I fought her and her name is Oscar 'Golden Girl' Dela Hoya."

Floyd then implored his fans on social media to "leave the most disrespectful caption you can think of" about Oscar.

Now, Oscar is firing back ... saying, "Hey, [Canelo Alvarez] someone is salty about your record breaking contract with @dazn_usa. Good thing we will never resort to hitting women."

He added some hashtags -- "#DomesticAbuser #DomesticViolence #Salty #antidomesticviolence #FloydMayweather #SaltyFloyd #FloydSaltyMayweather #whyyoumad."

Of course, Floyd was convicted of domestic violence in 2011 stemming from an incident where he attacked the mother of his children. He cut a plea deal and served jail time.

Unclear what Floyd's endgame is in regards to the feud with Oscar and Canelo -- since it seems he's already 86'd the idea of a rematch with Canelo.

Maybe these guys just don't like each other.

So, this is how it's gonna be -- Kevin Cadogan is so done waiting for Third Eye Blind to cough up cash, the ex-lead guitarist is suing the band and its frontman, Stephan Jenkins.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, Kevin says he's never been paid his cut from the band's re-released debut album -- and, as a founding member, he says he's owed at least 25 percent of the profits.

Kevin says he co-wrote and co-created the songs "Kiss Goodnight," "Scattered," "Heroin" and the band's "Semi-Charmed Life." All 4 are featured on the re-released debut, so he's expecting to get paid for them.

Further, Kev -- who left the band in 2000 -- says Stephan cut him off from royalties on a slew of the band's other hits.

He's suing for a court order establishing him as a copyright holder on all the disputed tracks ... as well as an accounting on how much money the songs have generated. His ultimate goal? Getting his fair share of the pie.