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Khamzat Chimaev is calling BS on Paulo Costa's claim that he slid into his girlfriend's direct messages ... telling TMZ Sports that's just not how it went down!

"Why should I DM somebody's wife, bro?" the 31-year-old UFC star said Wednesday from a pre-fight workout in SoCal.

"She DM'ed before the fight, when I announced the fight like, 'Khamzat, please don't take it seriously. We're just trying to make money and hype'," Chimaev recounted, before revealing what he said back.

Busta Rhymes is facing a lawsuit from a former personal assistant who claims the megastar rapper assaulted him ... however, Busta tells TMZ Hip Hop his allegations are complete BS.

We broke the story back in January ... cops questioned Busta over an alleged physical altercation between him and a man named Dashiel Gables.

Busta ultimately wasn't charged ... but Gables is preparing to host a press conference in New York later today to announce a lawsuit against the rapper for wage theft, emotional harm, and assault and battery.

Kelley Mack was feeling much better amid her cancer battle months ago ... but everything suddenly took a turn for the worse right before her death, TMZ has learned.

A family source tells us ... in February, "The Walking Dead'" star underwent treatment for glioma -- which is cancer of the nervous system. After her treatment, the source says Kelley experienced a "nice recovery."

The source says Kelley's cancer then relapsed out of nowhere, spreading through her body in recent weeks ... adding she had a "quick end."

Heidi Fleiss is over the moon that Aubrey Plaza  is playing her in an upcoming biopic ... but she's refusing to watch it because Heidi says she's not trying to go back to the past.

Fleiss also tells TMZ ... she's not involved in the yet-to-be-named biopic, which just cast Aubrey as Heidi, who became famous back in the 1990's under the nickname the "Hollywood Madam."

As you probably recall, Heidi ran an exclusive L.A.-based prostitution ring that catered to rich and prominent clients. But she was eventually arrested and convicted in state court for pandering and handed a 3-year sentence that was overturned on appeal. She was also convicted of money laundering and tax evasion in federal court and served a few years in prison before getting released in 1999.

Heidi tells us she's seen Aubrey's work in HBO's "White Lotus" franchise and feels she's a great choice to play her on the big screen and will do a spectacular job ... but she won't see what Aubrey does here, because "the past is dead" to her and she's not trying to relive her life.

Brooke Hogan's got a lot to say about her family, her late father's funeral, his sex tape and their complicated relationship ... but she's got a special message for some folks in Hulk Hogan's camp -- keep spinning lies about her, and prepare to lawyer up!!!

Brooke joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and opened up about why she skipped her dad's funeral this week, why they became estranged, why she wanted out of the will and why the last few weeks have been especially hard on her.

Hulk's daughter says people in her father's circle are spinning negative narratives around her and the lies have gotten so unbelievable it's laughable ... and also making her mad.

Sad news from Brad Pitt’s family ... TMZ has learned his mom, Jane Etta Pitt, has died at the age of 84.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us Jane passed in the last day or two, and a member of the family shared a touching IG post confirming the news.

Brad was incredibly close to his mom -- she was the glue of the extended Pitt clan, famously pulling the whole family together for a huge blowout just 5 years ago.

Jane, a former family counselor, mostly kept out of the spotlight ... but she did make a few red carpet cameos by Brad’s side with her husband, William.

Juvenile wants Megan Thee Stallion to back her azz up off the "Hot Girl Summer" grill -- he's reclaiming the warmer months, and brought reinforcements!!!

The Cash Money Records OG tells TMZ Hip Hop his new "Hotboy Summer" record featuring B.G. and Jacquees reflects his "grown man" POV these days ... all love to Meg but she must've forgot who originally put the fire to the BBQ!!!

NBA star Klay Thompson has been occupying Meg's time as of late, so the lane appears to be all Juvie's as the race for "song of the summer" still heats up.

Julianne Hough has to be pulling out some of her happiest dance moves ... 'cause she's officially sold her house in the Hollywood Hills for multiple millions.

The professional dancer tapped her way to a $6.35 million sale after listing the house back in the spring ... though she didn't get her $7.95 million she originally listed the pad for.

The 3-bedroom, 4-bathroom home -- built in Hollywood's heyday of the late 1930s, but updated with new amenities -- features 3,000 square feet of living space and sits on nearly half an acre of land.

Brooke Hogan says she did not attend her father Hulk Hogan's funeral ... because she believes it's what he would've wanted.

In a lengthy social media post Tuesday night, Brooke writes, "My father hated the morbidity of funerals. He didn't want one. And although I know people grieve in many ways - and I'm so grateful for all celebrations and events organized to honor him, as his daughter, I had to make my own decision to honor him the best and most genuine way I knew how...privately...the way that made me feel the closest to him."

Instead, Brooke says she honored her father by taking her children to the beach -- placing them in the salty water he loved so much. She adds the "only thing missing today" was Hulk in his pop-up lawn chair while watching the waves and the sunset.

Tia Mowry's on the dating scene, so naturally, she's weighing in on the new women's-only Tea app, which promises to help ladies spot red flags in men.

We caught up with Tia on Tuesday, and she’s all in on the app -- telling us it's a rock solid tool to protect women, and with a friend already using it, she’s seen the horror stories firsthand -- plus, some familiar male faces popping up, including a few celebs!

Catch our clip, because Tia’s got the scoop -- she says when you're in your 20s, you need all the, ahem, "tea" you can get about the dating world!

Kim Kardashian's being asked to use her fame and influence to help locate Amy Bradley ... with Amy's brother making a plea for help.

Brad Bradley tells TMZ ... after Kim posted on her social media about the new Netflix doc, "Amy Bradley Is Missing," he reached out to her and asked for help and resources to track down his sister.

Kim told her fans the doc was "mind blowing" and a "must see" ... and her post also said, "We must find Amy! This is so crazy @netflix."

Britney Spears will not be performing at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, despite a wave of online rumors ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Britney won't be hitting the stage at this year's VMAs -- not for a 10 minute set or any performance at all -- despite viral fan theories claiming she was secretly planning a surprise return, even bringing her son Jayden along for the big night.

The speculation kicked off after several Britney fan accounts teased a possible comeback performance, with some even claiming she'd be doing a medley of hits in a primetime slot.

Dr. Terry Dubrow says Jamie Lee Curtis needs to stick to acting and stop bashing plastic surgery ... and he's taking issue with her comparing cosmetic procedures to genocide.

We got the "Botched" star at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills and our photog asked about Jamie Lee's recent comments on plastic surgery.

ICYMI ... Jamie told the Guardian, "I've been very vocal about the genocide of a generation of women by the cosmeceutical industrial complex, who've disfigured themselves."

Aaron Phypers is blasting estranged wife Denise Richards for showing up at his house to grab a dog and causing all sorts of drama -- he says she never cared for the doggies in the first place ... and claims she left him and his elderly parents to care for all of the animals.

Aaron tells TMZ ... Denise moved out of the home 2 years ago because she got a condo nearby so she could film content for OnlyFans, and while she would swing by from time to time to pick up things, she never took care of the dogs.

At one point, Aaron says they had 55 dogs, 13 cats and 2 pigs at the house ... and for the past 4 years, the animals' primary caretakers have been Aaron's family ... with his mother and father handling all the pet grooming, feeding, and care.

Lil Tay won't have to worry about parental supervision on her new controversial OnlyFans page ... 'cause her dad tells us he won't be monitoring her posts -- not even for adult content!

Chris Hope, LT's father, tells TMZ ... he's not aware of any porn or straight-up nudity on Tay's OF page ... but he doesn't plan to keep an eye on it anyway!

That's because Chris, who's an attorney, says his 18-year-old daughter -- born Claire Hope -- is now an adult "and can make her own decisions," adding, "I am sure she is going to be successful in whatever she decides to do."

Juvenile says he had to watch in horror from the sidelines when his fellow Cash Money Hot Boys brother Turk got booted from their reunion tour ... things were contractually out of his control!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Juvenile, who openly admits he saw the tour unraveling the exact same time as the fans -- and his hands were completely tied!!!

Hot Boy Turk was openly vocal against his payout on the tour -- Juvenile tells us they all signed separate contracts -- and had been labeled by promoters as "a security risk" for feuding with B.G. on social media.