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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."

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.

Drake is wishing he didn't include so many past flames in his lyrics ... a regret Angie Martinez says is understandable because guys shouldn't do that!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught the IRL Podcast host out in NYC and she praised Drake's maturity ... but also feels he can make things right by sending those affected some shiny new jewelry to ice their pain. After all, diamonds are everyone's best friend!!!

Drake infamously made girls like "Courtney from Hooters on Peachtree" famous in his raps and made the confession to Lil Yachty during their feel-good interview on a Turks & Caicos beach last week.

The megastar rapper's Young Money boss Lil Wayne just made a confession of his own ... he deserves to be ranked over Jay-Z when it comes to the best rappers in the game.

Angie's interviewed Jay several times in her career, so she knows his competitive spirit first-hand, but she feels that Wayne (and any rapper worth their mic skills) should feel like they're #1 at all times.

The veteran radio host admitted she wasn't a good rapper back in her heyday due to her lack of braggadocious audacity and applauded Wayne watching Jay's throne.

We milked Angie's hip hop expertise for all that it's worth and picked her brain on one last topic ... GloRilla's crazy Anyways, Life's Great Tour.

During her last stop in Philly on Sunday, fans tried to snatch Big Glo's wig ... which she later tossed in the crowd to avoid the ruckus.

The scalping capped off a string of wild incidents during the rap rookie's inaugural tour and Angie thinks the "FNF" artist will be fine down the line ... with a few adjustments to her security staff!!!

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.

Shawn Porter had the best seat in the house for Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury -- he called the fight -- and the former 2x welterweight world champion tells us the judges screwed up ... The Problem Child won!

"I did not agree with the decision. I thought that Jake Paul pulled it out," Porter told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1), before knocking the overzealous referee's impact on the fight/scoring.

"Definitely hard to score the fight when you have a referee in there trying to control the action a little bit more than I personally felt he should've been."

Of course, 26-year-old Paul lost by split decision to 23-year-old Fury. One of the judges had Jake winning, 75-74. But, the two other judges both saw it the same way, with Fury winning on their scorecards, 76-73.

"Overall, I thought both guys did a fantastic job in terms of handling the moment, handling the ring itself, and everything that came along with it. But, overall, I thought Jake pulled it out," Porter said.

Tommy and Jake have both been criticized for not being real boxers (whatever that means) ... but Shawn says this was nothing besides a great night for the sport.

"This was a 50/50 back-and-forth match, ya just gotta appreciate it, man. Ya gotta appreciate boxing. It really was true boxing, the art."

We also asked Shawn -- who only lost four fights in his great career -- what advice he'd give Jake as he attempts to get over the first loss of his career.

"Go home, go back to Puerto Rico, get with your family, friends, people that love you, keep them around you right now, and just really decompress and get some space away from boxing right now."

Porter also talked about the hate Jake's surely receiving after the loss, advising him to steer clear of the haters.

"Boxing is a very vicious sport especially if you're misunderstood in the sport, you get a lot of people coming after you, and I'm sure he's been used to that for some time now, but exhaust yourself more? Take some time away from it all and just be with family and friends."

Now, Jake and Tommy will hammer out an agreement for a rematch ... but Shawn says we may actually see more than two fights.

Not only is "The Last of Us" drawing big TV ratings and buzz, it's now getting praise from menstrual cup companies for promoting the product and boosting sales.

No big spoiler's here, but if you missed last week's episode ... you didn't see the main character, Ellie, getting gifted a menstrual cup. At first, Ellie, who was born in a post-apocalyptical world seems a bit confused, but then she gets excited once she realizes what it is ... saying "gross" with a smile on her face.

While the scene was quick, fans hopped online to celebrate the significance of bringing women's health to the forefront and showing off a reusable alternative to tampons and pads.

A rep for The Flex Co., which makes menstrual cups, tells TMZ they saw a 400% increase in sales in the 2 days after the episode aired on HBO, a testament to media's "unparalleled power to destigmatize periods."

Over at Cora Life, another menstrual cup producer, a rep says they're thrilled to see a sustainable menstrual care product make it on such a high-profile show ... and they've also seen a slight uptick in orders.

Worth noting, 'Last of Us' didn't depict a specific brand, but obviously, it's prompted consumers to research them.

Lena Cup is also getting more hits -- a rep says the market was "energized" by the HBO shoutout, and they're all hoping the scene normalizes gifting menstrual cups.

Farrah Abraham is defending her daughter's new face piercings ... she says there are trade-offs to raising a teenager and is glad her 14-year-old isn't experimenting with drugs, alcohol or sex.

The "Teen Mom" star tells TMZ ... she wants to support her daughter as best she can, and if that means signing off on lip and ear piercings she wanted for her birthday, so be it ... because Sophia could be doing a lot worse.

Sophia got lip and ear piercings for her 14th birthday ... but mom says she made sure professional piercers were involved ... and she says Sophia actually didn't end up getting all the piercings after a professional advised against it.

While parents are blasting Farrah on social media ... she says some need to look in the mirror, because plenty of teens her daughter's age are already boozing, experimenting with drugs, dating and having sex ... things she considers way more dangerous than a piercing.

Sophia got a septum piercing last year for her 13th birthday, which Farrah also defended ... but this time she's advanced to the lips and ears.

Darrelle Revis breezed into the Hall of Fame on the 1st ballot, but who's the greatest CB to ever walk on a football field??? TMZ Sports talked to the Jets legend, and while he didn't flat-out say it was Deion Sanders, he used a fascinating analogy to answer the question using two NBA legends.

"As Kobe is to Jordan, 'Revis Island' is to 'Primetime.'"

As great as Revis was, he openly admits he borrowed a lot from guys like Deion.

"I grew up watching Jordan. I grew up watching Kobe. Jordan would always say in interviews, ya know their relationship was pretty cool, so Jordan would always say 'Kobe always stealing my moves!' I think that's the same [with me and Deion]. I tried to mimic the greats as much as I could," Darrelle told us.

Of course, Revis, a 7x Pro Bowler, and 4x All-Pro was the best cornerback of his generation during his 11-season career. Darrelle won a Super Bowl alongside Tom Brady and the Patriots at Super Bowl 49.

DR racked up 29 interceptions ... but more than the picks, he shut down half of the field.

Alongside Sanders and Revis, there are other players n the conversation for the greatest CB ever. Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson, Darrell Green and Champ Bailey are considered legendary players. There are also old-school guys deserving of recognition... players like Mel Blount, "Night Train" Lane, Willie Brown, and Mike Haynes.

Revis makes it clear ... he borrowed from anyone who was talented and could help up his game, and they helped him get to where he is now.

"If it wasn't for a lot of his influence and a lot of other guys that are great influence, how could I be here? So I think they were the stepping stone to help me become a better player and play the game we all love."

Revis joins fellow Jets legend, Joe Klecko as part of the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class ... and with Browns all-time Joe Thomas, is the only 1st ballot HOF'er in the group.

As for his speech, Darrelle says he hasn't yet started writing.

"I'm still tryna collect all the thoughts," Revis said, adding ... "I wanna make sure it's very personable."

1501 Certified Entertainment honcho Carl Crawford is admitting errors in dealing with Megan Thee Stallion, and wants all fences mended going forward -- but says they haven't spoken since 2019!!!

TMZ Hip Hop sat down with Carl and his newly installed 1501 President Kai "Verse" Tyler ... as their label enters a new chapter without the H-Town hottie.

Carl openly admits, as an ex-MLB star, his competitive drive is high but his knowledge of the music industry is somewhat limited ... and that's where Verse enters.

Verse is an industry vet who's had experience dealing with artists' publishing and publicity campaigns ... which led to a convo about 1501's current flagship artist, Erica Banks, and their plans for her career.

Carl also walked back his past vitriol toward Jay-Z and Roc Nation -- he'd previously blamed them for planting evil seeds in Megan's head -- and he came clean about his association with Tory Lanez.

Fans knew the Megan beef was real when Carl and Tory flicked it up last year inside a club, but Carl's admitting he and Tory don't know each other ... and the encounter was just trolling to get back at MTS. Ultimately, he regrets the stunt.

Verse says his focus is boosting the label's artistic reach, and he thinks Erica starting an OnlyFans page is just another aspect of dealing with today's social media generation.

That aside, he's certain the "Bust It" rapper has a banger with Kehlani, and even a cooking show coming up!

Miles Teller isn't going to have a pleasant return from an overseas trip -- cops say burglars took full advantage of his absence and hit his home hard.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... someone broke into the "Top Gun: Maverick" star's Los Angeles area home last week. We're told they gained entry by smashing a glass back door.

The crooks ransacked Miles' entire house looking for loot, but right now it's unclear what all they took. Once the actor's back in town, he'll go through the mess to evaluate what, if anything, is missing.

We're told cops were alerted to the caper by Miles' home alarm, but the suspects made a clean getaway.

Our sources say they don't believe Miles was intentionally targeted. Instead, he might have fallen victim to a string of burglaries that have been plaguing the area recently.

As of now, police haven't made any arrests ... but the investigation continues, and they're checking surveillance videos for clues.

Diamond Dallas Page says Dusty Rhodes would have been overjoyed to watch his son, Cody, in the main event at WrestleMania 39 ... telling TMZ Sports "he would be walking on clouds."

Page -- who mentored his late best friend's son since he was a kid -- told us Cody's heavyweight championship match against Roman Reigns on Sunday, April 2 is the culmination of a journey, and a moment the Rhodes family can savor forever.

DDP explained the fact that Cody left WWE in May 2016 when he felt the company didn't believe in him, and then came back to have a monumental moment like the main event at WM 39 is proof of what can happen when people believe in themselves.

Cody -- a former WWE intercontinental champion -- joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he spent six years competing before rejoining the WWE last April at WrestleMania 38.

Now, he has the opportunity to end Roman's 900+ day streak as Universal Champion.

DDP says he was honored to be one of Dusty's closest friends ... and he knows that after all the years of hard work and dedication the Rhodes family put into the craft, it will be "really emotional" to watch Cody enter the squared-circle.

We also spoke to Cody recently, and the 2023 Royal Rumble winner admits defeating Roman Reigns at WM would be a "tall task" -- but reassured everyone he's up to the challenge.

"If you're in the spot you want to make sure you get the job done," said Rhodes, the half-brother of Dustin, professionally known as Goldust during his WWE career.

Erika Jayne is keeping her lips sealed on potential new 'RHOBH' cast members -- now that they've started shooting -- but she's open about wanting Chrissy Teigen in the mix.

We got the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star out in WeHo and asked about the upcoming season of the show, which is gonna be very different without Erika's partner in crime, Lisa Rinna.

We raised the subject of Chrissy, Kyle Richards' top choice to join the cast, and Erika lit up ... saying she really likes CT, but added there's one big hiccup -- "Chrissy doesn't need this show!!!"

Erika couldn't even contain her laughter at the suggestion ... even if Kyle's throwing full support behind the idea of Chrissy being the perfect replacement.

Remember, Rinna recently announced she was leaving the show after 8 seasons.

Naturally, Erika told us her pal was simply irreplaceable. However, she's found some comfort in knowing she and Lisa remain friends outside the 'Housewives' universe ... aka IRL.

As for how the change is impacting the whole cast, she says everyone's dealing with it professionally.

It ain't Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams or Stefon Diggs -- no, according to Adam Thielen ... the best receiver in the NFL is Justin Jefferson!!

The Minnesota Vikings star showered his teammate with praise to TMZ Sports outside of the Super Bowl earlier this month ... saying Jefferson is, indeed, the top wideout in the game today.

"For sure," Thielen said.

The 32-year-old is a bit biased -- he's played alongside Jefferson the last three seasons and has gotten open numerous times due to coverage rolling the young star's way -- but there won't be too many people arguing against him.

Jefferson tallied 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight TDs in the 2022 season ... more than any other receiver in the league. He also earned All-Pro honors ... and his third straight selection to the NFL's Pro Bowl.

George Kittle is nowhere near done playing football, but when the time comes to hang up the spikes, he tells TMZ Sports he definitely wouldn't mind transitioning to the WWE!!!

The 49ers star didn't mince many words when the topic was brought up out in Arizona earlier this month ... saying he believes he's got the personality to smoothly jump from the NFL to the wrestling world if and when the time comes.

"Sounds fun!" he told us.

Of course, Kittle is a huge WWE fan ... he's been spotted at events like "Monday Night Raw" through the years, despite the taxing demands of being a professional football player.

The All-Pro tight end even put his wrestling skills on display recently at the NFL's Pro Bowl ... exchanging some moves with his teammate, Kyle Juszczyk.

Kittle's transition to the squared-circle would be pretty awesome ... but it would not be the first time we've seen an NFL tight end try his hand in the WWE.

Rob Gronkowski appeared at WrestleMania 33 ... where he helped his friend and former WWE star Dean "Mojo" Muhtadi win the Andre The Giant Battle Royal.

Gronk had one of the best spots despite not actually competing ... bulldozing through Jinder Mahal and paving the way for Mojo to eliminate Jinder, winning the match.

Glynn Turman tells us why Black elementary school kids getting racist drawings during Black History Month isn't a story that shocks him ... and he's got some incredible words for the kids that were apparently targeted.

We got the longtime actor at Wally's in Bev Hills ... and, as he puts it, hatred like this is deeply rooted in America's DNA, which is why it's an incident we should've seen coming -- and he calls out the lack of education as a reason why.

Glynn says we can't keep burying racism in this country, pointing to this vulgar act as an example. He's also got words of wisdom for Black kids who are facing hatred like this in schools today ... check it out, it's incredibly powerful.

As we reported, drawings saying things like "To my favorite cotton picker" and "You're my favorite monkey" were passed out at Pepper Tree Elementary School in Upland, CA ... needless to say, parents of the targeted students were outraged.