Fights

Conor McGregor or Max Holloway.

That's who UFC star Frankie Edgar tells TMZ Sports he wants to fight next.

"I'm hoping I get Max. I'm hoping Max sticks around at 45, and we get to finally get to square up. I think it makes the most sense."

Edgar is currently the #3 ranked featherweight contender behind Jose Aldo (#2), Brian Ortega (#1) and Holloway (Champ).

But, Dana White said this weekend he wants Max to move up weight classes ... so, if that happens, Edgar has his sights set squarely on the Irish superstar.

"I don't know, maybe Conor's free. Conor wants to get down and fight. We were supposed to fight a long time too. If I'm not fighting for the belt, then I guess Conor's the next best thing."

Neither matchup is all that far-fetched -- Edgar was scheduled to fight Holloway at UFC 222 back in March ... but "Blessed" was forced to drop out with an injury.

McGregor said in the past he offered to step in against Frankie ... but the UFC shut that down.

In other words ... both fights almost went down in March.

9:40 AM PT -- Sources close to Nipsey tell us the men he was fighting first attacked him because they thought he was someone else. We're told the men accused Nipsey of starting a fight earlier in the night inside the club, but Nipsey had nothing to do with it. The whole thing was started as a result of mistaken identity and Nipsey was only defending himself.

Nipsey Hussle was smack in the middle of a crazy clash where punches were thrown and tasers were pulled ... all on the heels of celebrating Nipsey's GF's birthday.

The intense melee went down late Sunday night in the parking lot of Nightingale in WeHo. You can see the Grammy-nominated rapper and his crew throw haymakers with a couple of guys that had confronted them earlier that evening.

We got the rapper and his GF, Lauren London, arriving at the club. O.T. Genasis was also there and it was shortly after that when our camera catches the first face-off ... it's at the very end of the clip. Less than an hour later, the brawl started.

You can see Nipsey in the middle of it all ... throwing several punches as valet workers scurry to get away from the chaos. Nipsey eventually cools down but things quickly escalate again. Moments later, someone -- presumably security -- pulls out a taser and things finally de-escalate.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops showed up to the scene but everyone involved had already left. No arrests were made.

Cardi B spent the weekend getting ready to diss Nicki Minaj ... or so it seems.

The "I Like It" rapper dazzled in a stunning headpiece Sunday night in NYC while preparing to shoot a new music video. The headpiece quickly got our attention ... and it doesn't seem like a coincidence that it's eerily similar to the one Nicki wore in her "Ganja Burn" music video.

Our guess here ... Cardi's going after her nemesis in the new music video. We know that's not exactly a leap.

Cardi and Nicki have been at each other's throats for a while now. Nicki's also been poking Cardi where it hurts ... after making a not-so-subtle casting decision that probably reignited their supposedly-squashed beef.

Adding insult to injury ... the alleged side chick who triggered the Cardi-Offset breakup appeared in Nicki's "FEFE" music video.

Kansas City Chiefs owner, Clark Hunt, says the team knew Kareem Hunt was involved in 3 violent incidents BEFORE they cut him ... but says the TMZ Sports video took things to another level.

Clark Hunt finally broke his silence about Kareem to the media after the Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday ... saying, "We were obviously shocked by the video, like anybody who saw it."

He added, "We’d had some issues with Kareem not being truthful with what happened that night and we just really felt for everybody’s best interests we needed to head in a different direction."

As we previously reported, Kareem has been accused of getting violent on 3 separate occasions during the NFL offseason -- allegedly attacking a man at a nightclub in January, the hotel incident in February and another altercation at an Ohio resort in June.

"We did know about [those incidents], yes," Clark Hunt said ... "We were familiar with all 3 of the incidents that he had had in the offseason ... They’d all been reported to the NFL, and the NFL was investigating them."

During the media scrum in the Chiefs' locker room, Clark Hunt was also asked about the NFL's investigation into Kareem Hunt ... and how the league could do a better job handling similar investigations in the future.

"I’m not sure I’m at a point right now where I can say there was a breakdown and specifically what that breakdown was. The league has spent a lot of time and resources trying to build a department that can handle these types of situations."

"Obviously, it’s imperfect. I’m not sure you can ever reach perfection. There are limitations on the type of information that league security people are able to get, and I’m not sure that we can change that."

Clark Hunt was also asked if Chiefs' draft scouts ever saw any red flags when it came to Hunt's off-the-field actions before they took him in the 3rd round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

"Our staff felt comfortable with taking him, otherwise we would not have selected him," Hunt said.

"Our scouting staff does a really good job of vetting players. And part of that analysis is their character. Obviously, it’s very hard to learn everything about somebody. Sometimes you have somebody who in college didn’t have any incidents and they get to the pro level and with the fame and fortune and so forth that comes with the position, they do something that you don’t expect."

"So, we’re certainly going to try to get better, but I don’t think you can ever be perfect in that regard."

Despite leaving on bad terms, Clark Hunt says the organization is still rooting for Kareem to better himself.

"I think the most important thing for Kareem is that he get some counseling that can help him with his issues ... and I heard today that there was a report that he was going to do that, and certainly we wish the best for Kareem in the future. I hope that at some point he’s able to come back to the National Football League, not sure when that will be."

The Bhad blood between Danielle Bregoli and Iggy Azalea just took another spill, 'cause the kid says Iggy can't be her least favorite celebrity ... as IA no longer fits the criteria.

Bhad Bhabie -- who we'd like to remind everyone is a mere 15 years old -- was in Iggy's native land down under, answering questions from audience members, and one young lady asks who was on BB's s*** list in Hollywood. She delays with a very loud, " Right now?????" ... and the crowd seemed to finish her thought by yelling out Iggy's name. Traitors!!!

Naturally, Danielle took the opportunity to throw major shade Iggy's way by saying, "That's not even really a celebrity." As you might imagine, the reaction was very much, "OHHHHH."

There's been no love lost between these two as of late -- and things have even gotten physical (on Danielle's end, anyway) after the teen rapper threw a drink at Iggy last month. The beef was stewing even before then, though ... BB dissed Iggy in song to kick off 2018.

Knowing all that, this might be the most disrespectful barb against Iggy. Listen to how Danielle refers to her -- "THAT" ... a pronoun often used for inanimate objects, not people.

'Rock of Love' star, Lacey Sculls, got an earful during a road rage incident, as in she allegedly chewed some guy's ear ... and now, as you might expect, he's suing the hell out of her.

Lacey, who tried and failed to lure Bret Michaels on his mid-2000s reality show, is being sued by Jorge Magana ... who claims Lacey and her hubby, Jonny, beat him to a pulp back in January.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Jorge says he was sitting in his car when Jonny charged at him, pulled him outta the car and repeatedly punched and bit him. During the skirmish, he claims Lacey jumped on him, scratched his face and bit off a portion of his ear.

Cops investigated the incident ... leading to Lacey and Jonny's arrests on multiple felony charges, including battery with serious bodily injury and assault. Jorge's suit offers no explanation for the altercation.

Lacey and Jonny are countersuing, however, and tell a much different version. They say Jorge repeatedly brake-checked them, trying to trigger a collision. Once both parties stopped, they claim Jorge got out of the car and sucker punched Jonny as he sat in their car ... and then Jonny sped off.

Riddick Bowe says with three months of training, he'd whoop the hell out of Deontay Wilder ... and the dude is dead serious.

"I'd tap that ass," Riddick tells TMZ Sports.

Bowe is 50 years old now and Deontay's a 33-year-old coming off the fight of his life ... but the boxing legend says none of that matters.

"If you gave me three months, I'd tap that ass. Give me three months, we could do it ... If you gave me three months, yessir. Without question."

So, what makes the retired boxer so confident? He tells us his relationship with Wilder's trainer, Mark Breland, is the key.

"I know exactly what he's thinking and when he's thinking it!"

As for Wilder's right hand ... Bowe says that could be a problem, but, "When I get up, I'll put my foot in your ass!"

BTW ... Deontay ain't the only one Bowe's got his sights set on -- he's callin' out Shaquille O'Neal too!

Jake Paul is firing back at Deji's claim he's "too p***y" for a rematch ... telling TMZ Sports he's got MUCH bigger opponents in mind ... and one of them is Conor McGregor's right-hand man!!!

We spoke with the social media superstar -- who Forbes just named the 2nd-highest paid YouTuber of 2018 -- about Deji calling for a rematch of their boxing super fight from August.

Jake slams the door on another fight with Deji ... saying he wants a REAL challenge -- either Bellator star Dillon Danis or his internet rival FaZe Banks!!!

Now we know Jake has been calling out Conor for a while ... so maybe he's getting slightly more realistic going after Danis.

As for Banks -- if you follow YouTube beef (yes, it exists), you know there's a big history between the 2 ... from Jake accusing Banks of assaulting his assistant (which he later apologized for) to Banks now dating Jake's ex, Alissa Violet.

Jake says he's seen all the trash Banks has been saying on Twitter ... and tells us he's down to settle everything in the ring.

Deontay Wilder says Floyd Mayweather is a TBH ... THE BIGGEST HATER, claiming Floyd is seething mad that Wilder is the new big star in boxing, and Mayweather is yesterday's news.

We got Wilder out in L.A. just days after he and Tyson Fury put together the most entertaining draw in boxing history and he says, while the world was stoked on the fight, Floyd wasn't.

"They loved it, they loved every bit of it. The world loved it, and I don't think he liked that though. He wants all the attention on him, and it's sad that it's like that."

Deontay's logic is that he's a heavyweight, and the big guys are the ones fans REALLY want to see, so it's just a matter of time before he's at the top of the sport, and the old guys have to get used to it.

When we asked him if he'll ever make Floyd Mayweather money, he says it's definitely in the future for him, and once again, seems to take shots at Money.

"I'm coming, and it's a lot of fighters that's jealous of me for no reason. I've never said nothing bad about no one, I've always wished them well."

FYI -- Floyd was SUPER critical of the decision in the Fury fight, saying Tyson was robbed in the draw, but it's clear Wilder thinks that's not just Floyd's boxing mind talking, but his hater mind.

"Some fighters just don't want to see me make it."

If Brian Ortega takes out Max Holloway this weekend, he's already got another big fight in his sites -- Khabib Nurmagomedov.

"We all have our bucket lists, right? And, my bucket list is to fight Max and fight Khabib," Ortega told the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show.

"Those are the top guys in the sport ... those guys are the top dogs."

In fact, Brian was at UFC 229 back in October when Khabib destroyed Conor McGregor and says it was essentially a scouting mission.

"I was watching the fight and we were there and all I could think of was, 'If I was in there, I would do this differently.'"

"And, that's kinda when you start realizing that maybe you should share the Octagon with him ... if you think you have the answer."

Ortega also says he already knows how the fight would play out if they ever get to square off.

But, before any of that happens, Brian takes on Holloway at UFC 231 on Saturday night.

WWE legend Sgt. Slaughter says the company was 100% right to have an event in Saudi Arabia ... saying the decision was about entertainment and not politics.

"WWE Crown Jewel" went down in Riyadh on Nov. 2 -- despite calls from prominent politicians, businessmen and even WWE wrestlers to postpone the event in the wake of the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

After the event, WWE hailed it as a success -- others have still been extremely critical.

We got the Sarge in NYC, and the 70-year-old told us he's happy the company held the event, saying making political decisions isn't what the WWE is all about.

"We're an entertainment company. We're not anything to do with politics. We're basically there to entertain everybody. Not just the American people, but people all around the world. That's what we do for a living. That's what makes our company so great."

It's a sticky situation ... John Cena & Daniel Bryant -- two of the biggest stars in the organization -- refused to participate in the event ... but stars like Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton and others were happy to participate.

Zero and none -- those are the chances Tenshin Nasukawa has to beat Floyd Mayweather when they square off on New Year's Eve ... according to Roy Jones Jr.

"He's not gonna lose the fight."

Floyd and Tenshin -- an undefeated 20-year-old kickboxing superstar -- are fighting in Japan at the end of the month ... and there are some people who think Tenshin could be the guy to finally put Mayweather on the canvas.

Roy Jones, however, is not one of those people.

That said, Roy expects Tenshin to fare better than Conor McGregor -- because Tenshin is a seasoned stand-up fighter ... and "McGregor had never had a boxing match before in his life."

A party for VH1's "Black Ink Crew: Chicago" turned violent when one of the stars got into a fight with a guest ... well, it wasn't much of a fight.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Junior Diaz got into a heated convo with someone during the party in Chicago. During the argument, we're told Junior called the other guy a bitch ... then immediately sucker punched him in the face. In the face!!!

When cops showed up at the Dec. 1 bash ... they found the punchee disoriented and bleeding from the mouth. He was transported to a hospital where he got stitched up.

Our sources say the party was being shot for 'Black Ink' ... although it's unclear if cameras captured any of the fight. Remember, it didn't last that long. Two hits: Junior's punch, then the guy hitting the ground.

We're told Junior had bounced when cops arrived, and witnesses weren't down to talk.

George Lopez won't have to answer for allegedly attacking a fan who trolled him with a Trump joke ... the case has been tossed.

A clerk at the Las Cruces Municipal Court in New Mexico tells TMZ ... the misdemeanor battery charge was tossed Thursday after a notice of dismissal was submitted. We're told it was dropped because the alleged victim did not appear in court and did not notify anyone about not showing up.

Therefore, the case is now closed.

TMZ broke the story ... the Trump fan got in George's face with a camera back in October ... prompting George to grab the guy's neck. We were told the guy had been egging on George with pro-Trump comments and yelling "MAGA."

6:40 AM PT -- The hearing's over. Prosecutors wanted Cardi's bail to be set at $2,500, but the judge released her with no bail and said he didn't think the rapper was a flight risk.

The judge DID give Cardi a stern warning to have NO contact whatsoever with Baddie Gi and Jade. After issuing protective orders for the alleged victims, the judge told Cardi "no contact" includes making threats or comments on social media about the bartenders.

She's scheduled to be back in court next month.

Cardi B's not messing with the judge in NYC, she showed up bright and early for her court date ... dodging some serious legal trouble.

The "Money" MC was swarmed by photogs as she showed up for the arraignment in her strip club beatdown case -- 4 days after missing the scheduled date. As she made her way through the crowd, she asked ... "Am I this famous?" That's a yes, Cardi.

TMZ broke the story ... the judge gave her an extension on Monday, and warned if she didn't show on Friday there would be a warrant issued for her arrest.

Cardi's accused of unleashing her posse back in August on two strip club bartenders -- Baddie Gi and Jade -- who she suspected slept with her husband, Offset.

She was arrested and booked in October for assault and reckless endangerment ... both misdemeanors.

She's waiting to address the court right now. We'll keep you posted.

Kristaps Porzingis is 7'3".

Pro boxing superstar Vasyl Lomachenko is 5'7".

And, when they get together, they look like cover of the "Twins" VHS box.

Lomachenko is gearing up to fight Jose Pedraza on Saturday night in New York -- and ran into the Knicks star.

The picture is just fun to look at, but it begs the question ... be honest -- who wins in a street fight?

Obviously, Porzingis has the size and strength -- but Lomachenko is a beast ... the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and a legit boxing savant.

If the two squared off in an alley ... KP would have to try to smother Loma -- and the challenge for the boxer would be trying to hit Porzingis in a spot that would actually cause damage.

We've seen Porzingis show off his fighting skills before -- getting into it with Marquese Chriss during an NBA game back in 2016. He's definitely got some fight in him ...

Lomachenko is 11-1 as a pro -- and Joe Rogan once said, "He might be the best boxer who's ever lived."

He's a 2-time Olympic gold medalist and a champion in 3 different weight classes.

Dude's a monster.