Exclusive

Bo Nickal says he'll face the toughest test of his still-young MMA career Saturday when he steps into the Octagon vs. Reinier De Ridder ... a former 2-division world champ in ONE!

The 29-year-old 3x NCAA wrestling champ and undefeated MMA fighter is set to scrap with 34-year-old RDR ... and despite being the 13th-ranked Middleweight, Nickal says Ridder is actually underrated.

"I think that both of us would beat most of the top 15, and I think that this fight is way more than an unranked guy fighting number 13," Bo told TMZ Sports. "Whoever wins this fight will have a really nice path to challenging for the title and fighting the best guys in the world."

Desmond Watson -- the 437-pound NFL rookie affectionately known as the "Tush Push Terminator" -- might have a bit less junk in his trunk when it comes time to stopping QB sneaks in 2025 ... as he tells TMZ Sports he's looking to shed a bunch of lbs before he takes the field for his first pro season.

The former Univ. of Florida defensive lineman, who was just picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after going undrafted last month, has found a whole lot of success while up over 400 pounds ... playing in 51 games with the Gators over the last four years.

But, he told us that while being big has its pros ... he believes slimming down could make him a whole lot quicker in the NFL.

"BMF" star Lil Meech has expanded his portfolio since his hit show and unity with 50 Cent came to a halt ... but he's thinking fashion-forward with his new clothing store!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Lil Meech on Thursday night in Hollywood and he was dripping in some of the threads you'll see at WONCE, his storefront in Miami.

The Detroit-bred actor says the company's mantra is "We Own Nothing Control Everything," and he's nestled up in one of the most affluent parts of Magic City.

Diddy's defense may be aided by the fact there's a lot of noise about celebrity sex tapes and minors being involved in the Diddy criminal case ... those two things are NOT part of the case, and it could have a profound effect on jurors.

On the "2 Angry Men" podcast, Harvey Levin and Mark Geragos explored one of the perceptions out there about the Diddy criminal case ... and how it may swing the jury.

There's a false narrative that celebrity sex tapes and minors are part of the prosecution's evidence against Diddy ... with some folks out there, including potential jurors, under the false impression this case is the hip hop version of Jeffrey Epstein.

An OnlyFans star says she's not backing down from billboard vandals ... 'cause she plans on keeping her ad promoting her account up, even though it's been vandalized three times.

We spoke with Chloe Amour -- a porn star with a new billboard in L.A. -- and, she tells us she can't catch a break when it comes to incidents of her image being slashed.

Amour tells us Regency Outdoor -- the billboard company that keeps putting up Chloe's ad -- told her they suspect religious protesters might be behind the vandalization ... which she says means it ain't about her as much as what she does for a living.

John Elway was in good spirits hobnobbin' with other celebs and throwing back a beverage from a styrofoam cup just 2 hours before he was involved in the golf cart accident that killed his good friend, Jeff Sperbeck.

Take a look at these photos TMZ Sports obtained from a swanky day party last Saturday inside The Madison Club -- a golf community in La Quinta, CA -- Elway looked to be having a solid time.

Wearing a red and gray checkered shirt with a white ballcap, the NFL Hall of Famer was mingling with a small group around the bar.

5/3 5:23 PM PT -- A spokesperson for Chumba Casino tells TMZ it "operates its social casino in strict compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.  This lawsuit has no merit and Chumba will vigorously defend its legal right to operate its business."

The rep adds, "Our brand ambassador Ryan Seacrest is not involved in the operation of Chumba’s business, and it is unfortunate that he has been unfairly targeted as part of this suit."

2:25 PM PT -- A source close to the situation tells TMZ this is just a nuisance lawsuit.

Ryan Seacrest is breaking California law by promoting an illegal online casino ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

The "American Idol" and "Wheel of Fortune" host is being sued by a California resident named Aubrey Carillo, who allegedly lost money on an online casino Ryan often promotes on social media.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Carillo claims ChumbaCasino.com is operating illegally in California and Ryan is serving as the operation's official celebrity endorser.

Zach Yadegari is an 18-year-old high school senior from Long Island, NY who founded a calorie-counting app that's worth tens of millions of dollars -- but that wasn't enough to gain admission to Ivy League schools ... and now he's going all LeBron James by taking his talents to South Beach.

The entrepreneur joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and we asked him how in the world he got rejected from top universities like Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Princeton and Yale.

Zach was still in high school when he rolled out Cal AI, an app that uses artificial intelligence to help people count calories ... all they have to do is snap a photo of their food and the app tells them how many calories are on their plate.

Francis Ngannou is opening up on the tragic motorcycle accident that resulted in a young woman's death ... saying his "heart is shattered" by the "devastating loss of life."

According to news outlets in Cameroon, Ngannou was driving the motored vehicle when he struck a female in the streets of Yaounde late last month.

The reports stated Ngannou transported her to the hospital and provided financial assistance as she received medical attention ... but unfortunately, she succumbed to the injuries she suffered in the accident.

Cannabis is legal in exactly 39 states -- including New York but over 30 years later, B-Real and his Cypress Hill posse are still banned from "Saturday Night Live" for lighting up a J!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Dr. Greenthumb himself at LAX on Thursday, where he had to laugh at all the time that's passed since that fateful weekend date, when CH rebelled against the cause.

The date was Oct. 2, 1993, but Cypress Hill brought 420 to the Big Apple ahead of schedule and blew sativa smoke on national TV performing their song, "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That."

FYRE Festival organizers are looking to light the seller's market on the festival scene ablaze ... officially fielding offers for FYRE's IP -- and looking for millions to part with it.

Sources close to the festival tell TMZ ... more than 700 offers have been submitted to organizers since they announced they'd part with the rights last month.

While many are lowball offers and jokes, we're told about 86 have been legitimate ... and, organizers have met with about 30 or 40 of those legit potential buyers to talk turkey.

Jill Sobule was staying with close friends when a fire broke out at their home ... and they believed she was with them while making their escape from the blaze.

The singer/songwriter died Thursday in an early morning house fire while staying with the married couple in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Craig Grossman, Jill’s agent, tells TMZ … the unidentified couple quickly scrambled when they realized the home was on fire -- and they thought Jill was with them while they were running out.

Martin Lawrence has big plans for his developing "Martin" spin-off starring Tommy Davidson but sorry, longtime fans ... the adventures of Sheneneh are over!!!

TMZ caught up with the "Bad Boys" franchise star at LAX on Thursday afternoon and he guaranteed "Varnell Hill" on BET+ will be a riot!!!

"Martin" is arguably the favorite African-American sitcom ever, and Davidson left his mark with just 2 episodes on the '90s series ... but not more than the show's nosy neighbor Sheneneh Jenkins!!!

Rap-Rock rager Destroy Lonely says he'll never confuse the love of his life for another woman -- even if she happens to have a twin!!!

We caught up with Playboi Carti's Opium artist at LAX this week and he told us he's head over heels for his GF Shannade Clermont, one half of former "Bad Girls Club" stars The Clermont Twins.

Destroy Lonely says anyway you want to slice or dice it, fried outta of his mind in the darkest of the night -- he'd still be able to differentiate Shannade from Shannon!!!

Jill Sobule's death is receiving heightened scrutiny by investigators ... because they're trying to determine when she died -- and if drugs, alcohol or carbon monoxide played any part.

A rep for the Ramsey County Medical Examiner in Minnesota tells TMZ ... investigators are digging into the cause and manner of Jill's death -- and, a major detail investigators are trying to determine is whether she was still alive when a house fire broke out, where she was later found dead.

Remember, Woodbury Public Safety received a call about an active housefire around 5:30 AM Thursday ... with first responders arriving to find the house fully engulfed in flames.

Rolly Romero will step into the ring against Ryan Garcia on Friday night in some custom, "Marty McFly" Nikes ... and, Great Scott, they're cool!!!

TMZ Sports has learned Jose Coronado, AKA Aztek Kustoms, "deconstructed" the $40,000, "Back To The Future"-themed kicks so the 29-year-old could wear them in the ring for his huge tilt with King Ry ... and check 'em out, they're fully functional.

The shoes -- which were originally created by the Swoosh to honor the self-tying kicks Michael J. Fox once wore in "Back to the Future Part II" -- have operational LED lights and all the same markings of the OG ones McFly wore in the old-school flick.