Fights & Feuds

Alex Volkanovski was literally holding his adorable newborn Reign when he got the call -- Charles Oliveira was out and Islam Makhachev needed an opponent -- and the 145 lb. champ almost instantly knew it was time for daddy to go to work!

Volkanovski joined Michael Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs daily on FS1) on Wednesday ... where Alex "The Great" talked about the phone call he received late last week from his manager.

"I think I might've had Reign, my newest addition to my family, my newborn Reign," Alex said ... "I might've been holding her, and [my manager] gets on the phone and says, 'Mate, you wouldn't believe it.' And I'm like, 'What's up?' Did not cross my mind one bit. I'm thinking it's for something else. He goes, 'It's looking like Charles isn't going to make it and they need someone.'"

Volkanovski was obviously shocked ... and after conferring with his coach, Joe Lopez, and wife Emma, the decision was clear -- we've got a fight in less than two weeks, and it's going down halfway across the world.

Of course, Makhachev was originally scheduled to fight Oliveira -- a rematch of UFC 280 (Islam won by 2nd round submission).

In some ways, Volkanovski, who lost by unanimous decision to Islam in February (although many people think he actually won), believes the lack of a training camp could actually be beneficial.

"I'm feeling good. I'm excited. That's one thing that I've taken out of all this whole thing, obviously, it's crazy. But man, it's gonna be fun. I don't think I've ever been this excited for a fight.

"Obviously you get excited, but you go through camp, and camp can be exhausting. Mentally and physically exhausting thinking about the fight the whole time. Now I don't have time for that. As soon as I heard about it I had a smile on my face and it hasn't gone away even until now."

Alex Volkanovski estaba literalmente sosteniendo a su adorable bebé (Reign) cuando recibió la llamada. Charles Oliveira estaba fuera e Islam Makhachev necesitaba un oponente, ¡y el campeón de 145 libras casi al instante supo que era hora de que papá fuera a trabajar!

Volkanovski se unió a Michael Babcock en el programa de televisión "TMZ Sports" (se emite diariamente en FS1) el miércoles, donde Alex "The Great" habló sobre la llamada telefónica que recibió a finales de la semana pasada de su manager.

"Creo que estaba sosteniendo a Reign, mi pequeña bebé, que es la última integrante de la familia", dijo Alex: "Podría haber estado sosteniéndola, cuando mi manager se pone al teléfono y dice: "Amigo, no te lo creerías". Y yo: "¿Qué pasa? No se me pasó por la cabeza. Pensaba que era para otra cosa. Me dice: 'Parece que Charles no va a conseguirlo y necesitan a alguien'".

Volkanovski estaba obviamente conmocionado y después de consultar con su entrenador, Joe López, y su esposa Emma, la decisión estaba clara, tenemos una pelea en menos de dos semanas.

Por supuesto, Makhachev estaba programado originalmente para luchar contra Oliveira, una revancha de UFC 280 (Islam ganó por sumisión 2ª ronda).

En cierto modo, Volkanovski, que perdió por decisión unánime contra Islam en febrero (aunque mucha gente cree que en realidad ganó), cree que la falta de tiempo para entrenar podría incluso ser beneficiosa.

"Me siento bien. Estoy emocionado. Eso es algo que he sacado de todo este asunto, obviamente, es una locura. Pero tío, va a ser divertido. Creo que nunca he estado tan emocionado por una pelea".

"Obviamente, te emocionas, pero pasas por el período de entrenamiento, y eso puede ser agotador. Mental y físicamente agotador, pensando en la pelea todo el tiempo. Ahora no tengo tiempo para eso. En cuanto me enteré, se me dibujó una sonrisa en la cara y no se me ha borrado hasta ahora".

Rey Mysterio heard Logan Paul call him out after beating up Dillon Danis on Saturday ... and now the WWE Superstar is intent on making the YouTuber-turned-fighter pay in front of the world!

TMZ Sports ran into Rey Monday afternoon in NYC (he's hard to miss with the luchador mask!) ... and we had to ask him about Paul's in-ring trash talk.

"I'm looking to shut him up in a way," 48-year-old Mysterio told us without hesitation.

"He said he has his eyesight on something and someone, it's me and the U.S. title. So let's go! I've only been doing this for 34 years. I don't think he was even born before that happened."

Of course, after 28-year-old Logan beat Danis, he called out the pro wrestling legend ... "Rey Mysterio, I already beat you once, brother, and I'm coming for that U.S. Championship. Let's go!"

FYI, Mysterio has been the United States Champion since mid-August.

Rey and Logan have some history. In fact, Paul and The Miz defeated Mysterio and his son Dominik at WrestleMania 38 in 2022.

Thankfully, it doesn't sound like we're going to have to wait long until the men are back in the squared circle together.

"I'm hoping to see [Logan] there this Friday [on SmackDown]," Mysterio told us, adding, "I don't know if it'll go down right then and there [on SmackDown], but we will plan a date."

Despite the bad blood, even Rey couldn't help but admit Logan's pretty awesome in the ring.

"I have seen his growth inside the ring and he picks up very fast," Mysterio said, adding, "He's good. I'm not gonna lie. But I don't think he's better than Rey Mysterio."

Soulja Boy isn't down to sit back and let his laundry list of "rapper firsts" be disrespected -- so he's going off on Lil Yachty for making what he considers treasonous remarks.

Yachty recently claimed he and Post Malone were the first rappers to adopt streaming on Twitch ... an erroneous statement, because SB's been on Twitch since 2013 as opposed to Yachty's 2016 entry date.

Soulja hopped on IG Live and gave Yachty a mouthful of disses while flashing stacks of cash in the camera to remind the red-haired rapper he comes from old money. He also threw in some homophobic slurs, referencing Yachty's painted nails.

Drake didn't escape the wrath either, as SB warned he too was skating on thin ice ... but he didn't explain that beef any further.

Drake and SB haven't had much interaction lately, but the "Crank Dat" rapper landed one of the biggest "Breakfast Club" moments when he dissed Champagne Papi in the name of Pusha T several years ago ... 20 million views and counting.

"I'm feeling better than ever, honestly. I would say I got a little bored with the UFC. Maybe a little complacent."

That's a 39-year-old, rejuvenated Derek Brunson ... fresh off signing a multi-fight deal with the PFL after a decade-plus-long career with the UFC.

Brunson has tons of great things to say about his old promotion, but he's also pumped for a fresh start.

"Now being with a new organization, I got that hunger, that motivation back, and I'm feeling really good. I haven't ran in like 5 years. I just started back running, I'm excited to see what we can do here."

FYI, Brunson lost his last two UFC fights ... against two of the best in the middleweight division, Dricus Du Plessis and Jared Cannonier. Before the losses, Derek won five in a row including wins over Darren Till, Edmen Shahbazyan, and Kevin Holland.

Brunson's set to compete in the PFL's million-dollar tourney ... a journey he'll begin on November 24. It won't be easy ... he's fighting 2x champ Ray Cooper III.

Kamaru Usman had a nearly impossible decision to make Wednesday morning ... travel nearly 8,000 miles and fight Khamzat Chimaev on 9 days notice, and now the former welterweight champ is opening up on why he decided to step in against one of the most dangerous men in the world!

"I leave training and I get the call from [manager Ali Abdelaziz] and I'm immediately excited. That's where you are, you're excited about what could potentially be," 36-year-old Usman told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" show on Friday (airs weekdays on FS1).

But, the UFC legend said he didn't want "to be hasty and do something unintelligent," so after speaking with his coaches, who didn't object, Kamaru told his people he'd take Tuesday night to decide.

When the sun rose Wednesday morning, the choice was crystal clear for Usman, who "texted Ali and said, 'Let's do this!'"

Of course, Usman is stepping in for Paulo Costa -- the middleweight contender -- who was originally scheduled to fight Chimaev. unfortunately, Costa is dealing with a medical issue, and wasn't going to be cleared.

With less than two weeks before UFC 294, the co-main event was in serious jeopardy ... but then Kamaru saved the day.

Now, Usman faces a huge challenge in the 29-year-old, undefeated Khamzat ... who Kamaru admits is very dangerous.

"He's very skilled. He's strong, he's big. He's fast, he can wrestle, he can grapple, he can strike. He has everything," Kamaru said, "But so do I."

"At the end of the day, we're all human beings. Everyone feels invincible until someone pokes that balloon."

Usman (#1) and Chimaev (#4), are both top 5 ranked welterweights ... but the fight's being contested at middleweight (185 lbs.)

We asked the Nigerian Nightmare if he's been told a win earns him a title shot.

"I mean, it's a no-brainer," Kamaru said, before making it clear he's solely focused on KC.

"I've got a mountain in front of me that I have to scale. We'll get through that first and then we'll worry about what's next."

Check out the full interview ... there's much more with Kamaru, including whether we've seen the last of him at welterweight, where he's arguably the G.O.A.T.

Rep. George Santos went toe-to-toe with a civilian Friday on Capitol Hill over the war between Israel and Hamas -- and it got heated enough, Capitol Police had to separate the men.

The Congressman from NY charged through a hallway in the Capitol and started shouting at a man he accused of getting in his face over Israel's policies regarding Gaza and the treatment of Palestinians there. Santos went from zero to 100, quickly pointing out the man to cops.

When the man, reportedly a Jewish D.C. resident, asked Santos what he was doing about Israel's oppression of Palestinians ... Santos yelled back at him, "What about the terrorists you tried to defend in this building? It's abhorrent that you are in this building stepping up for terrorists!!!"

The man kept his hands at his side as Rep. Santos waved and pointed a finger in his face until cops stepped in between them ... but even as he stormed off, the legislator continued yelling.

At the other end of the hallway, he continued shouting -- now at reporters -- "What is happening to the people of Israel should not be defended!!! No one defending Hamas has any business in this building whether you're elected, whether you're a civilian."

Steve Smith Sr. went all the way in on Jerry Jeudy before Thursday Night Football ... calling the Broncos wide receiver average in front of millions of people!

Smith, a retired, 5x Pro Bowler, revealed he was involved in a pregame incident with 24-year-old Jeudy ... as the receivers came face-to-face, and it didn't exactly go smoothly.

“The word that I’ve used to describe him in the past was a J.A.G. -- Just A Guy. When I saw him, he’s playing well. I wanted to say to him face-to-face, ‘Hey, I know I said some things in the past I probably shouldn’t have and 'I’m sorry.’ That’s what I wanted to say to him. His response was, Ninja, I don’t mess with you. And, it was a curse word. So I was like, ‘All right.’ And, then he repeated it,” Smith told the NFL Network audience.

That's when the gloves came off.

"I'm sorry I said you were a JAG, 'Just A Guy' who is an average wide receiver [the Broncos] used a first-round pick on that isn't doing anything. I hope today you actually show up in a way that you haven't shown up in the last couple years since they drafted you."

Steve continued ... "So if you ever got a problem with Agent 89, I'm sorry for saying that you are an average wide receiver that they will eventually move on from. When teams call me to ask if they should trade for you, I will say 'No, don't trade for Jerry Jeudy because he is mentally unable to handle constructive criticism who watch specifically if you can be a wide receiver. He's a tier three."

Remember, this was all before the game even started.

Soccer superstar Neymar nearly got into a fight with fans after his game Thursday night ... and it's all 'cause one of them drilled him in the head with a bag of popcorn.

The wild moment happened following Brazil's 1-1 draw with Venezuela at Arena Pantanal in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.

As Neymar was leaving the pitch a bit disappointed -- Brazil and its fans had anticipated a win -- a white bag full of the salty snack came flying from the stands ... and knocked him right in the noggin.

While it, of course, didn't do any physical damage to the 31-year-old athlete ... he was livid nonetheless, and appeared to try to go after the person who hurled it at his face.

Fortunately, Neymar's teammates held him back ... and pulled him into the locker room before things could escalate any further.

Afterward, Brazil's coach, Fernando Diniz, blasted the fan for the act.

"I completely disapprove," Diniz said. "Cursing and booing is fine. Throwing a bag of popcorn doesn't do anything for anyone."

"It's disrespectful towards those who came to play and tried to do the best they could."

Jamie Spears is not concerned in the slightest with the contents of Britney Spears' upcoming memoir ... he's not even going to bother reading the book.

A source close to the Spears family tells TMZ ... Jamie's not sweating what Britney has to say about him in her new book, "The Woman In Me," because she's already trashed him both in court and on social media, once saying she hoped he'd spend the rest of his life in jail.

In addition to Britney's book ... his ex-wife, Lynne, and Britney's younger sister, Jamie Lynn, both released memoirs detailing how Jamie was an absent father during Britney's upbringing ... which coincided with his struggles with alcohol. In other words, they've all pretty much said everything, so what else is there to know?

Fact is ... Jamie's already taken ownership of being a bad dad when Britney grew up, but when she was in dire straits back in 2008, Jamie came to L.A. to help her and stayed for the next 13 years as her conservator.

Britney's lawyer, Matt Rosengart, has alleged Jamie fleeced her for millions of dollars during that conservatorship, and Britney might be addressing that as well. But our sources say so far, Rosengart has not gotten a single penny from Jamie, in part because almost all the expenditures were court-approved.

Short story ... we're told Jamie has no clue what made the final cut in Britney's memoir ... and he's not interested in finding out because he lived through it and knows the truth.

A Jamie Spears no le preocupa en lo más mínimo el contenido de las próximas memorias de Britney Spears, tanto es así, que ni siquiera se va a tomar la molestia en leerlo.

Una fuente cercana a la familia Spears le dijo a TMZ que a Jamie no le importa lo que Britney tiene que decir acerca de él en su nuevo libro, "The Woman In Me", en parte porque se siente que ya está enterado de todo lo que a él le concierne.

Jamie tiene un punto, su esposa, Lynne, y la hermana menor de Britney, Jamie Lynn, ya han publicado memorias detallando cómo Jamie fue un padre ausente durante la crianza de Britney y como todo este período coincidió con la lucha de Jamie con el alcohol.

Nuestras fuentes dicen que Jamie siente que ya ha asumido el estigma de haber sido un mal padre que estaba luchando contra el alcoholismo cuando Britney estaba creciendo, así que si eso es un tema en sus memorias, no importaría demasiado.

De hecho, nos dicen que Jamie no tiene ni idea de lo que hizo el corte final en las memorias de Britney y no está interesado en averiguarlo, porque vivió a través de él y sabe la verdad.

El papel de Jamie en la tutela de Britney fue un tema muy intenso hacia el final, pero nos informan que no está preocupado por lo que tiene que decir sobre la tutela, porque ya ha sido ampliamente documentado y su posición es que hizo lo mejor por su hija.

El hecho es que Britney ha dicho todo sobre Jamie los últimos años, y más aún recientemente así que no hay realmente mucho más que pueda decir sobre él para mover la aguja.

El abogado de Britney se ha comprometido a obtener una tonelada de dinero de Jamie por sus presuntas fechorías, pero Mathew Rosengart no ha conseguido un centavo de Jamie.

An OnlyFans model asked Dillon Danis to choke her out ... and he did just that.

The wild scene went down at the Misfits Boxing open workout on Wednesday ... when Elle Brooke wanted to get a firsthand understanding of the former Bellator fighter's submission skills.

Logan Paul's nemesis -- wearing a cap that read "I went on a date with Nina Agdal and all I got was this stupid hat" -- happily granted Brooke's request ... getting behind her and putting her in a rear naked choke.

The influencer/celeb boxer appeared to go out cold -- shaking as Danis and two others kept her from crashing to the ground.

Brooke came to several seconds later, and gave her immediate review of the experience ... comparing it to being on MDMA.

"Oh my God, that's so much better than drugs!!" Brooke said after the demo.

MMA stars are no strangers to doing tutorials on regular folk -- remember when Paige VanZant nearly made our idiot reporter Lucas go lights-out in the TMZ studio a few years ago?!

Our sources tell us Lucas didn't want to tap ... but Harvey made him.

As for Dillon and Elle, it looked like everyone left the experience on good terms ... even if it did look a bit scary. In fact, Brooke shot her shot with Danis on social media after the encounter ... saying, "Next time can we do it naked?"

The interaction comes just days before Danis is slated to fight Paul on the Prime Card in Manchester after months of ruthless trash talk ... and based on all the drama surrounding the bout, it's gonna be a movie.

N.O.R.E. and his "Drink Champs" podcast lost the "Best Hip Hop Platform" BET award to Yung Miami for the 2nd year in a row ... and the "Oye Mi Canto" rapper isn't taking the L too nicely!!!

After the 2023 BET Hip Hop Award winners were announced during Tuesday's airing, N.O.R.E. decided to stir the pot by tweeting ... "So nobody gonna say nothing bout the podcast /media award? Ok me neither!!!"

Miami not only beat out "Drink Champs," but also "The Breakfast Club" and Joe Budden's podcast -- but the accusations of Diddy paying off BET for her didn't fly as far as they did last year, as many of Miami's fans rubbed it in N.O.R.E.'s face!!!

Her "Caresha Please" viewership was proven to best N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN's in the last year and she's even given them one of their recent viral moments ... dubbing herself the "Black Oprah" when she was on "Drink Champs" in August.

Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Ice Spice also took home trophies at the Awards, which were taped last week and hosted by Fat Joe.

Drake está diciendo que Joe Budden es un rapero fracasado por estar hablando mal de su álbum, un golpe bajo de acuerdo con KNXG Crooked, no sólo para él, sino para todos los MCs que utilizan su propia experiencia en su Hip Hop.

TMZ Hip Hop habló con el ex compañero de banda de Joe con el que formaron Slaughterhouse a raíz de la disputa de "For All The Dogs". Las cosas entre ellos no terminaron de la mejor manera, pero Crooked sorprendentemente está de su lado, ya que siente que los insultos de Drake lo cortan igual de profundo.

Crooked reconoce a Joe como un pionero en lo que respecta a podcast de Hip Hop junto con el difunto Combat Jack y el encarcelado Taxstone, y dice que Joe estaba en su derecho de criticar la oferta de arte público de Drake tanto como Drake tenía derecho a responder, pero piensa que Drake lo hizo porque sabe que las habilidades y el respeto entre sus compañeros todavía importan.

Drake le dijo a JB que sus acciones palidecen al compararlas porque él es dueño de un jet privado y JB solo tiene una "modesta" casa en Nueva Jersey.

Crooked dice que Drake y Joe tienen una profunda admiración el uno por el otro, algo que él puede atestiguar personalmente.

Se remontó a los días de gira de Slaughterhouse alrededor de la década de 2010 y dice que Joe estaba escuchando activamente a Drake en los autobuses de gira, pero no se siente la necesidad de desempolvar su micrófono en el futuro, al parecer la plataforma de podcast es lo suficientemente poderosa.

Drake is framing Joe Budden as a failed rapper, but KNXG Crooked says that's a low blow -- not just for Joe, but for all MCs who go on to use their expertise for hip hop commentary.

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with Joe's former Slaughterhouse bandmate in the wake of the "For All The Dogs" feud. While they weren't on the best terms when Slaughterhouse broke up, Crooked's surprisingly on Joe's side as he feels Drake's disses cut him just as deep!

Crooked acknowledges JB as a pioneer in hip hop podcasting -- alongside the late Combat Jack and incarcerated Taxstone -- and says Joe was well within his rights to criticize Drake's "For All the Dogs" ... just as much as Drake had the right to respond.

Drake told JB his stock pales in comparison because he owns a private jet compared to JB's "modest" house in New Jersey to shut him up, but Crook doesn't believe the beef is serious.

Crooked says Drake and Joe have a deep admiration for one another -- something he can attest to personally.

He harkened back on the days of Slaughterhouse touring, circa the top of the 2010s, and says Joe was actively listening to Drake on the tour buses. Crooked adds ... there's no need for Joe to dust off his MC mic going forward, as his podcast platform is mighty enough!!!

Drake has a huge sales week on the horizon, but isn't ready to let bygones be bygones over Joe Budden's scathing critique of his new album, "For All the Dogs," and his boyish lifestyle!!!

Drake threw another shot Monday at JB, clowning him for having a bulletproof fedora case and his podcast career ... "I thank god for this life and not having to come to rushed conclusions on Best Buy podcast mics."

HitsDD is projecting Drake to have his biggest opening week since 2021 -- evidence fans weren't digging that dance album that much -- yet, he's still distracted by Budden enough to spend the weekend duking it out with him.

The Canadian rapper went out of his way to discredit Budden's podcast cohost/engineer Parks Vallely, essentially labeling him "cool as Mark Zuckerberg," to which Parks might have trumped Drake with his response -- revealing he actually worked on Drake's 2016 "Scorpion" album.

JB was basking in yet another level-up for his podcast in the wake of his Drake beef ... posting how his anti-"Dogs" episode was competing in the global news market against Israel vs. Hamas and Donald Trump. Hyperbole's also good ratings.

Whether fans hated it or loved it, the new album could be Drake's last offering for a while ... he says stomach issues have been holding him back for some time now.