Controversial S#!T

If Jon Jones wants to secure his legacy as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Randy Couture has some advice for him ... move up to heavyweight and win another title!!

TMZ Sports talked to Couture -- one of the greatest fighters in UFC history -- about Jones, and his beef with the UFC's P4P rankings.

Of course, 33-year-old Jones has held down the #1 spot for a while, but was bumped earlier this week for the retired Khabib Nurmagomedov ... and has been beefin' with MMA fans over the decision online.

Randy tells us if Jon wants to make it clear he's the best in the world, all he's gotta do is put on a few pounds and fight Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou.

"I think if Jon really wants to solidify himself as pound-for-pound, he needs to go up to heavyweight and he needs to take a shot at winning that title. And, then that erases any argument that anybody could have."

Couture says Jon's dominated the light heavyweight division for so long ...but tells us winning in another division would take his career to a different level.

"I think that's something that Jones needs to look at, and really solidly his legacy in the sports by going up and winning the heavyweight division, and showing just how technically proficient and athletic he is."

FYI, Jones relinquished his LHW belt a few months back ... and has flirted with the idea of moving up to fight a top heavyweight.

Keith Raniere -- the leader of NXIVM, a sex cult operating under the guise of a self-help organization -- will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

The judge sentenced 60-year-old Raniere to 120 years in prison Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court. His sentencing came after 15 former NXIVM members confronted him over the physical and emotional abuse they endured under his guidance in the cult.

Raniere -- known as "Vanguard" to his followers and the subject of the HBO docuseries, "The Vow" -- was arrested in March 2018 for sex trafficking, but was still relatively flying under the radar until it came out that "Smallville" actress Allison Mack was linked to him and the cult. She was arrested the next month.

Mack allegedly served as Raniere's accomplice in forming the DOS group in NXIVM, which manipulated women into being branded above their pubic regions with his initials.

Raniere was convicted of wire fraud conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, and 4 other charges for his role as leader of the cult for 2 decades.

As we reported ... Mack pled guilty in her case to racketeering conspiracy and racketeering in April 2019, and is still awaiting sentencing. She's facing up to 40 years.

Here's a GOP campaign HQ in California, doubling as a Trump merchandise store, AND allegedly collecting ballots -- a state violation -- according to this undercover video.

The video was shot in Newport Beach and shows "Trump Store" employees offering to collect a voter's ballot for storage in their safe. The footage was filed with a complaint made to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.

Vice obtained the video which briefly shows the inside of the store filled with Trump merch, before the lens is covered ... but you can clearly hear the conversation about collecting ballots. An employee, or volunteer, says "it's very safe" to drop off a ballot there.

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Attorney General Xavier Becerra fired off a cease and desist to the California GOP over its use of ballot boxes. The person who filed the complaint says the video was shot after that cease and desist.

A racist had the gall to tell a Black man to his face that the public area he was trying to film in was a "no-n***er zone" ... and somehow walked away unscathed, at least at first.

The victim is Andre Abram, who was recording an episode for his podcast in Old Town Scottsdale, AZ last Friday with his cameraman, who's also African-American. As they were doing their thing, Abram says he noticed a guy giving 'em the eye ... who then approached.

That's when he started rolling and caught the guy's vile words on camera. The older man -- who, interestingly, is of Asian descent -- walks up casually and asks them what they're doing ... to which Abram tells him, filming on a public road, as he asks why the guy came over at all.

The man, who has since been identified as Paul Ng, then flat out tells Abram ... "this is a no-n***** zone," while going on to admit that he is, in fact, a racist. Abram disputes his claim about the area, and Ng continues to press him on where he's from and why he's there.

Abram then tells Ng to back up and step away ... he's clearly upset, but controls himself as he addresses his own camera about the situation. Ng, from across the way now, proceeds to use a leaf blower in front of a building ... which Abram assumes is his place of business.

After the fact, local reports say Ng was later arrested by police on a disorderly conduct charge after the video was posted and went viral. Turns out, he was also fired from his real estate job -- with Russ Lyon Sotheby's Int'l Realty recommending his license be revoked.

One outlet reports that Ng later expressed regret for his comment -- and said he was simply looking out for his neighborhood, as they had had "trouble" there recently.

NFL superstar DeAndre Hopkins is accused of swerving in and out of a Trump caravan in his Ferrari before his game in Arizona on Sunday ... all while shooting POTUS supporters 2 middle fingers.

People who claim to be a part of the Trump rally say the scene all went down at around 1:30 PM in the Phoenix area ... just a couple hours before Hopkins' Cardinals took on the Seahawks.

One Twitter user, Richard Williams, claimed the 28-year-old receiver was driving recklessly in his pricey convertible ride amid the Trump caravan ... and accused the NFL player of straight-up putting lives "at risk."

"My 8 yr old son was in one of the cars you were swerving in and out of as you were disrupting the PHX Trump Train drive and trying to cause an accident," Williams wrote in a scathing message to the Cards player.

"You're a piece of trash. Make your political statements, but you out people at risk today."

Several other people who claimed to witness Hopkins at the rally say they too believe Hopkins put people in danger with his actions.

"It's scary when they are coming up fast and swerving into you," April Garcia told azcentral.com.

The Cardinals have yet to comment on the allegations. Hopkins, meanwhile, has not addressed the alleged incident either.

We've reached out to DeAndre's reps for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Hopkins -- who's advocated heavily for social justice throughout the Black Lives Matter movement this summer -- played a huge role in getting Arizona a win over Seattle, catching 10 passes for 103 yards and a TD.

Barrett was just sworn in as the 115th Supreme Court justice in a ceremony at the White House.

She gave a quick speech, promising to carry out her duties independently from the presidency, congress and her own private beliefs.

Barrett then walked a flight of stairs with Trump and they appeared to have a chat as they mugged for cameras.

There were no eleventh-hour surprises -- Amy Coney Barrett got the votes she needed to be confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States, which is now staunchly conservative.

President Trump's pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was confirmed by the Senate Monday with a final tally of 52 to 48 ... with Senator Susan Collins as the only Republican to join every Senate Democrat in voting no.

The confirmation comes just 8 days before Election Day and after Barrett's nomination was fast-tracked despite an outcry from Democrats, who think the American people should have a say in the makeup of the highest court in the land.

Senate Democrats huffed and puffed while unable to halt Barrett's confirmation ... and when all was said and done, a majority of the Senate overlooked recent precedent and determined ACB was deserving of a spot on SCOTUS.

Justice Clarence Thomas is expected to swear-in Barrett at the White House during tonight's outdoor ceremony.

As you know ... Barrett's confirmation gifts conservatives a 6-3 majority on the High Court, where she's likely to serve for decades as she's only 48 years old.

Get ready ... abortion rights, the Affordable Care Act, LGBTQ rights, voting rights and tons of other fundamental issues and policies are now squarely in the crosshairs of the justices.

Trouble may be just around the corner in this volatile election/pandemic year, because businesses coast-to-coast are starting to board up in anticipation of election unrest.

Washington D.C. is starting to shutter itself ahead of what might turn out to be a violent day and/or night. Check out these photos taken Monday in the business district of Downtown D.C. -- just a stone's throw from the White House. As you see, lots of different buildings and shops in the area are nailing up wooden boards to cover windows.

Construction crews are on hand doing their thing as passersby look on at an ominous scene -- folks don't usually do this unless they expect people to break in, like in a riot, for example.

D.C. isn't alone. Beverly Hills is bracing for unrest and the pricy shops on Rodeo Drive will also be boarded up ahead of November 3rd.

President Trump's setting up the Black community for success, but they've gotta pull themselves up by the bootstraps ... that's basically what Jared Kushner's now suggesting.

The president's aide, son-in-law, made the remarks Monday morning while discussing Trump's campaign working with Ice Cube. On "Fox & Friends" he claimed Cube was an example of the "groundswell of support" for POTUS in the Black community.

Kushner attributed that support to Trump's policies "that can help people break out of the problems that they're complaining about."

The word "complaining" is already pretty objectionable phrasing. But, then he added this ... "He [Trump] can't want them to be successful more than they [the Black community] want to be successful."

In other words, if Black folks aren't doing well, that's on them ... not the President.

Kushner went on to claim the Black community is realizing Trump is working for them and delivering results, and they want to get on board.

Lil Pump is taking a cue from 50 Cent, and throwing his support behind President Trump ... saying he doesn't wanna pay a dime more in taxes, as Joe Biden's proposing.

The rapper chirped up this weekend in pretty clear terms, posting a pic of him shaking hands with DT -- clearly photoshopped -- and a ringing video endorsement.

As for why ... it seems to be in line with what Fiddy voiced just last week when he endorsed Trump as well -- they're not down to fall into a new tax bracket under Biden's plan. If he wins, JB has said he would try to upend Trump's tax law and get folks who make more than $400k to chip in their fair share -- way more than what they're paying now.

Of course, both 50 and Pump fall into that category, and neither seem willing or eager to give up any more of their wealth to Uncle Sam.

It seems 50 didn't mean it after all -- or he's on the fence. He later said "F*** Trump" when his ex, Chelsea Handler, called him out on 'The Tonight Show.'

She said she'd be willing to give him another go in the bedroom if he changed his tune ... and sure enough, he did. When it comes to LP, though, he sounds a little more serious.

Here's another thing ... Pump is actually catching a ton of flak right now for his endorsement, but more so for his use of the n-word in his video (and in general).

"I think he's matured, and I believe in second chances,"

That's Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians explaining why he approved of the team signing Antonio Brown ... despite his problematic history.

As we previously reported, the Bucs locked up AB in a 1-year contract -- reportedly worth up to $2.5 million if he hits all of his incentives.

Brown is suspended through Week 8 for a variety of reasons -- including an off-season arrest for attacking a moving truck driver, allegations of rape and sending menacing text messages to a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct.

Arians had previously said the Bucs were not interested in Brown -- but clearly had a change of heart. Many people speculated Tom Brady played a role since they appeared to get along during AB's short stint in New England last season.

But, on Sunday, Arians said that just isn't true.

"Everybody wants to say that Tom picked him. Tom didn't have anything to do with it," Arians told the media.

"This was something [general manager Jason Licht] and I had been talking [about] for a couple weeks, ever since the injuries to our other guys."

"When the time was right, would we see if we could pull the trigger and fit him in to what we want to get done? And we'll see. If Antonio does what I think he's gonna do, I think he's gonna be fine."

Arians was also asked what he would say to female fans about the move to sign Brown.

"I think you just let the court system do its job. Allegations -- I've been around a lot of players that have had allegations that weren't true, some were -- so let the court system handle it. If it's found out to be true, he won't be with us."

Tom Brady also weighed in on the signing ...

"He's a tremendous football player ... I played with him for a brief period of time. Looking forward to working with him again, to see what role he can come in [and play]. He's a very hardworking guy."

A Trump supporter was caught on camera pulling a gun on a group of protesters after getting splashed with some gunk -- and now, cops are on the hunt for the gunk-hurler ... seriously.

Check out this video that was posted this weekend from out in Woodinville, WA -- just north of Kirkland. In the clip, you see a man -- who was reportedly wearing a pro-Trump cap -- waving a gun at a group of what appear to be mostly young, female demonstrators.

As soon as the pistol comes out, the person filming immediately notices and calls it out ... while at the same time demanding to get his name, as well as the names of the people he seemed to be rolling with, who also looked like Trump supporters from their getups.

Eventually, he's walked back by one of his friends ... and the gun goes back to wherever he pulled it from. The woman berates him for threatening violence, and his excuse is ... you guys dumped something on me. The lady claims it's just water and calls him a snowflake.

Cops were called, and after interviewing witnesses, we're told it was relayed like this ... 2 groups were protesting -- pro-Trumpers and anti-Trumpers -- and at some point, this fella gets liquid tossed on him with a 5-gallon bucket by an unknown assailant, who fled by foot.

Unclear what the liquid was -- the dude claims it was a mix of spit and piss ... but officers haven't determined exactly what was inside. In any case, when they arrived, the gun-puller remained on the scene and cooperated with authorities. He was NOT arrested or cited.

Another pro-Trump parade is going down this weekend -- only now, in NYC ... where a group identifying as Jews are showing their MAGA support, and bringing things to a boiling point with counter-protesters.

An event being dubbed "Jews for Trump" kicked off Sunday in Manhattan, where a massive convoy of cars and trucks waving Trump 2020 and American flags were caravanning through the downtown area ... flanked by both cops who were protecting them, and anti-fascist protesters who were chirping from the sidelines. Some folks wearing Proud Boys garb were also there in the mix among the Trump crowd -- eventually, all the groups clashed.

It's hard to say what exactly is sparking the violence, but it's happening nonetheless. Here's one video in which a counter-protester takes a Trump flag out of one of the parading vehicles, which is parked momentarily. As that squabble seems to simmer down, another one pops up across the way -- where two NYPD officers are wrestling someone to the ground.

Not too long after, utter chaos breaks out as people start to square up and swing on each other. Some folks are trying to break it up, others are jumping in -- it's almost impossible to differentiate at times.

At one point, a counter-protester comes up behind one of the 'Jews for Trump' dudes and taps him in the head before trying to run away. As he's fleeing, he gets kicked in the leg and topples to the ground, with his head hitting the pavement hard. And, seconds later ... even more brawls break out in an adjacent section. Like we said, complete pandemonium.

Some people on the ground claim the cops are definitely team Trump here, because some of the officers are arresting counter-protesters at the behest of the MAGA crew ... who are apparently being safeguarded by those same cops using bikes to maintain crowd control.

This jives with what was just in the streets of NYC earlier this weekend -- namely, an NYPD squad car saying "Trump 2020" over its built-in loudspeaker ... which is a violation of police policy.

President Trump thinks Sacha Baron Cohen is an unfunny jerk who tried, but ultimately failed, to fool him years ago -- and to that, SBC says ... appreciate the plug, DT!!!

POTUS gave a harsh critique of Sacha and his work as Borat, especially as it pertains to the sequel that just came out this week. He told reporters on Air Force 1 that he didn't really know what the new fuss was all about -- it's about Rudy Giuliani, if he isn't aware -- but went on to say Sacha tried duping him a while back, but that he called out his whole act.

Trump reportedly said, "That's a phony guy and I don't find him funny." He also called him a "creep," and it appears Borat himself caught wind of the insult ... and promptly replied.

Sacha writes, "Donald—I appreciate the free publicity for Borat! I admit, I don’t find you funny either. But yet the whole world laughs at you." He also offers Trump a job while making a presumption about Election Day results.

What Trump's referring to when he says he caught Sacha in the act dates back to the mid-2000s, when SBC got Donald to agree to a sit-down interview with another popular character he plays ... Ali G. Ali tries pitching Trump on an ice cream invention, but Trump remains stoic throughout and eventually leaves the interview entirely. No gotchas, no scandal.

Trump has maintained over the years he saw right through Sacha's bit, which is why he cut the interview short and left abruptly. Sacha doesn't think that's entirely true, but in any case ... he's never been able to completely prank the guy -- unlike Trump's adviser, Rudy.

If you hadn't heard, Giuliani is one of Borat's "victims," if you will, in the new flick -- and is actually caught in what some might describe as a compromising situation with Sacha/Borat's sidekick, who's portraying a reporter.

After interviewing him, she invites him into her bedroom for a drink and removes his microphone and untucks his shirt. Then Rudy puts his hand down his pants, seemingly to tuck in his shirt, but Sacha's claimed it was more creepy.

For his part, Rudy has since claimed nothing inappropriate was going on and that he was just tucking in his shirt. Sacha and co. argue the opposite -- asking ... who knows where it would've gone if left uninterrupted?

Kanye West and Joe Rogan finally had their recorded sit-down, touching on lots of different topics ... including the fact Ye's willing to make a pitstop on his way to the White House.

Ye appeared on Joe's hugely popular podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience" Friday -- and it just went online Saturday ... running nearly 3 hours long. There's a lot to unpack, but what stood out to us right away -- Kanye saying he's down to run for Governor of California.

Naturally, Joe opened the show asking Kanye why he was running for President, which led to Ye recounting the fact that he was inspired in the shower around 2015 -- something he's mentioned before -- and how he feels a higher power calling him to serve and lead.

While discussing his political journey, Kanye said he was open to running for Gavin Newsom's job if it helped him get his feet wet ... but insists the presidency is his ultimate goal, even if that means trying again in 2024, and even if it means running as a Dem.

Another interesting nugget in all that political chatter ... Kanye claims Oprah actually discouraged him from running when he first said he would at the 2015 VMAs.

That just scratches the surface of what else they got into (politics and otherwise) -- in fact, we encourage you to go listen for yourself, 'cause it was truly a fascinating episode.

Kanye also talked medication, his mental health, religion, abortion, the music and entertainment industry, family and so, so many other things. He and Joe also discussed race, of which Kanye made a lot of interesting, and perhaps controversial, points. Namely, he believes much of the way white Americans treat African-Americans is inherently racist and meant to keep Black people down, even if they appear like advocates on the surface.

To make his point, he brought up the argument that Disney has essentially erased what a true "Black Panther" is ... because the Internet is now flooded with their movie, which Kanye thinks was actually meant to be a distraction by a "white man" and a "white company."

He also brings up Black History Month -- and the idea that Americans constantly putting "Black" in front of occasions and moments like that actually serve as reminders to Black people that they were once considered lesser-than ... which he doesn't think is healthy or helpful. Basically ... he's sick of qualifying Black achievements and progress, and wants to redefine how we talk about it as a whole. Ye also re-invoked the name of Harriet Tubman, but this time ... he had more time to flesh out his thoughts and put it in context (ish).

Still, some might find his train of thought a bit backwards ... almost in the vein of his "slavery was a choice" remark, which also caught him some heat at the time. Watch his full thoughts and judge for yourself.

President Trump's got himself a costar at his latest rally in Florida -- one of his supporters who can't stop flashing what looks like the white power hand symbol in clear view of cameras.

Look closely at the video from Trump's Friday rally at The Villages in Central FL ... the man seated in the crowd over the President's left shoulder repeatedly made the 'ok' symbol ... commonly associated now with the white power movement.

What's more ... the guy flashing it is also wearing a black hat with yellow print, which some folks are claiming matches the logo for the Proud Boys.

As you know ... Trump refused to condemn white supremacy during the first Presidential debate, and instead told the alt-right group Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by."

The guy positioned behind the President certainly wasn't shy about using the hand symbol as he raised it almost every time there was an ovation. POTUS never acknowledged him, and it's possible he never saw the gesture being made.

Russell Wilson is going to bat for Antonio Brown ... saying he's personally stayed in contact with the WR and believes the Seahawks would be a "great place" to make his NFL comeback.

Earlier this week, the Seahawks acknowledged they're interested in signing AB after his 8-game suspension is up.

Fast forward to Thursday when Russ -- who spent part of his summer working out with Brown -- was asked about the team possibly bringing him on board in the future ... and he hopes it happens.

"I think Antonio definitely has taken those steps, and like I said, nobody's perfect," Wilson told reporters.

"From the conversations I've had with him, he's really been remorseful and he's been humbled along the way. Like I said, I pray that he can continue to grow, just like anybody."

Wilson says he's gotten to know AB on a personal level over the years ... and praises his talents on-field as well as becoming a better man off it.

"The reality with Antonio is, he's had some tough moments in his life, especially as of late. I think he's gone through a lot of things he wishes he could take back and do, and just not say, whatever it might be. But I think he is a special player, for sure."

When asked about specific details about Brown's sexual assault case and texts he allegedly sent to another female sexual misconduct accuser, Wilson says he truly believes it will stay in the past.

"I think with Coach Carroll, I think with the teammates that we have, the men that we have and the growth, I think if he does play football, I think this is a great place if he does play again," Wilson added.

"I think this is a place where he'll grow a lot as a man too, as well. And, I think that we're going to continue to try to help anybody who walks in this locker room as you guys know."