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Ex-UFC star Tim Kennedy -- who's also a U.S. Army Special Forces sniper -- is praising the police sniper who took out a bank robber with a close-range kill shot between 2 hostages.

Tim tells TMZ … law enforcement did incredible work here to preserve innocent lives and protect civilians, and anyone who thinks the sniper put the hostages at risk with such a daring shot has no clue what goes into a snipe like this.

Remember ... video shows the moment a Lee County Sheriff's Department sniper shoots through a computer monitor inside a bank, killing a robber who was using 2 hostages as human shields while communicating with a negotiator.

Most boxing fans are PUMPED for Jake Paul and Mike Tyson's November fight. But, there's a group of critics who've attacked The Problem Child for fighting a mid-50s Iron Mike.

We asked 27-year-old Paul what he'd say to the detractors.

"Tell Mike Tyson that. Because he does not give a s*** what anyone thinks," Paul told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show this week (airs nightly on FS1).

Uncross those fingers and exhale, 49ers fans ... Eric Dickerson says Christian McCaffrey will be just fine this season -- telling TMZ Sports there is no such thing as the "Madden Curse!!!"

Of course, plenty in San Francisco have been worried sick since Tuesday ... after the star running back was named the Madden NFL 25 cover athlete.

While disaster hasn't struck for the most recent players who've received the honor -- it happened so frequently in the past, it's become commonplace for fans to have concerns about it all -- and SF supporters haven't been much different this week.

Same s***, different day -- that's star boxer David Benavidez's motto heading into his big bout Saturday night ... 'cause the boxer tells us he plans to kick Oleksandr Gvozdyk's ass, just like he did when they sparred a few years back.

Benavidez (28-0) and Gvozdyk (20-1) are one of the two Prime Video PPV main events this weekend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas ... with the winner taking the WBC interim light heavyweight title.

Benavidez -- who moved up weight classes (to 175 lbs.) to fight Gvozdyk -- feels confident the victory will be his ... and he isn't the least bit threatened by the Ukrainian fighter.

Tú quieres stolen art from Taco Bell?! Well, it just so happens there's some available on the black market ... for a hefty price tag.

Here's what's going on ... wall art commissioned for the fast food giant's image rebranding some 20 years ago was swiped from various locations over the years ... and now the heist pieces are popping up for sale online.

Mark Smith, the artist behind the dope designs, tells TMZ he's known for years that the art was stolen from stores ... but only recently has there been a hot resale market ... which includes one picture going for $10K on eBay!

Dan Hurley went back to UConn ... so the Lakers should now turn their attention toward Sam Cassell -- so says Reggie Theus, who tells TMZ Sports the ex-NBA star would be an "excellent" choice for L.A.'s vacant head coaching job.

Theus -- a former NBA player and ex-coach of the Sacramento Kings -- said out at LAX this week that Cassell is "my guy" ... and would be his top choice to fill in for Darvin Ham now that Hurley is officially out of the picture in Los Angeles.

"I love Sam," he said. "I think he's been around -- he's earned his dues."

Dr. Oz's medical knowledge came in handy on his flight to Mexico this week ... 'cause the celebrity doc treated a fellow passenger during a health scare up in the air, TMZ has learned.

Check out this footage, obtained by TMZ, that shows Oz vigilantly tending to another traveler, whom we're told was going in and out of consciousness an hour into Friday's flight from NYC to Cabo San Lucas.

Dr. Oz has confirmed the medical incident, telling TMZ ... he was en route to a wedding when he heard flight attendants asking for medical help, and he answered the call.

The cause of death for ex-NBA player Darius Morris has just been revealed ...  heart disease is the killer, with drug and alcohol use playing a big role.

Darius' official cause of death is coronary artery disease ... according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

According to the ME's death investigation summary, obtained by TMZ Sports, drug and alcohol use was a significant factor in Darius' death ... specifically, the effects of cocaine, hydrocodone and ethanol.

Bay Swag's summer is scorching like the desert -- "Fisherrr," his hit with Cash Cobain, is one of the hottest songs, and had the Summer Jam crowd rockin' with their performance!!!

TMZ Hip Hop recently linked with Bay in NYC before the Yung N Lit Music Fest Presented by EMG, and got his reaction to Method Man leaving the stage to the new generation of fans.

Meth kissed SJ goodbye for good after realizing the younger crowd -- which got jiggy with Bay, Cash and Ice Spice -- had taken over for good.

Political analyst Matthew Baum can understand the allure of an AI-powered candidate for office -- but he warns that kind of ultimate political outsider could pose some unexpected threats.

We got the Harvard professor Friday on "TMZ Live," where he weighed in on the growing trend of AI candidates running for political offices across the globe.

For example, entrepreneur Steve Endacott is having his AI-generated avatar run for a seat in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom.

Terrence Howard firmly believes his non-traditional theories on math, gravity and science are the simple truth -- and it's only the "Jim Crow laws of mathematics" preventing the rest of the world from getting on board with him!

We got the actor/mathematician at LAX and our photog asked him if anyone's reached out to debate him on some of his differing views about the world we live in ... including his insistence that 1 x 1 = 2.

Terrence says he's open for healthy debates on what he's been preaching on podcasts ... where he's been challenging the conventional math laws that have been around for centuries.

The alligator that ate a homeless woman likely ambushed her -- that's what a gator expert is saying anyway ... and she would know, 'cause she dealt with these things on TV.

Ashley Lawrence -- who appeared on Animal Planet's "Gator Boys" -- tells TMZ ... she has an idea of what might've led to the grisly killing of Sabrina Peckham ... who was eaten by an alligator in Florida last year, the aftermath of which we're just now seeing in 2024.

Lawrence says that because the victim's camp seemed to be near water -- adjacent to a canal -- that may have increased her chances of running into a gator in the first place ... as she says they lurk near these areas, and they're always looking for an opportunity to pounce on prey.

Blueface's mom Karlissa Saffold hates to see her family crumbling under the weight of the legal system -- but says she's going to hold it down until everyone is free!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Karlissa in Hollywood on the heels of Chrisean Rock's surprising arrest earlier this week at Blueface's court hearing -- a move Karlissa calls "bad timing" on the part of the authorities.

She says the entire world knew Chrisean had a warrant, but for cops to act on it while Chrisean was purely in court to support Blueface was a low blow.

Deon and Karen Derrico -- stars of TLC's "Doubling Down With The Derricos" -- are officially divorced after a judge signed off on the split ... and yes, that means it's already official.

The couple filed for divorce on June 4 and received the judgment two days later on June 6 ... splitting legal and physical custody of their 13 minor children equally between the two parents.

According to the court documents, obtained by TMZ, Deon will pay $1,166 a month in child support while Karen won't pay any child support because she will bear the responsibility of the kids' medical insurance.

Erik von Detten is sending love back to the Kelce brothers -- this after discovering their favorite Disney movie growing up was "Brink!" ... and as it turns out, he's a fan of theirs too.

The actor -- who played the lead in the classic Disney Channel flick -- tells TMZ he's honored by the recognition ... which he also says doesn't surprise him one bit, 'cause the 1998 classic was fantastic by his own standards.

Erik goes down memory lane with us -- reflecting on why he thinks "Brink!" still resonates with people today ... and why Travis and Jason Kelce might dig it so much from their childhood.

Nick Mavar -- who was once a deckhand on the F/V Northwestern on "Deadliest Catch" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The Police Chief of Bristol Bay Borough Police Department in Alaska tells TMZ ... the ex-Discovery Channel star died Thursday afternoon in Naknek -- this after experiencing a medical emergency of some sort.

BBBPD wouldn't elaborate on the nature of the medical emergency -- noting it was too early in the investigation to draw conclusions. We are, however, told Nick's family has been notified of the tragic news.