Soccer Fan Suing After Losing Eye In Attack ... At Chivas-America Game
A soccer fan claims he was beaten within an inch of his life at a Chivas vs. America soccer game in Lodi, CA -- losing his eye and suffering brain damage in a brutal attack captured on video.
The fan is Hilario Cruz -- a huge fan of Club America, a pro team based in Mexico City.
Cruz says he brought his family to Lodi to watch past greats from Club America take on past greats from rival Chivas at the Grape Bowl back in June 2018.
The history between the two teams is well documented ... think Yankees vs. Red Sox on steroids.
Cruz -- dressed in his yellow Club America jersey -- claims his family was trying to safely enter the stadium but got rerouted by a security guard who inadvertently directed them into a group of Chivas fans.
In his suit, Cruz claims the fans were armed with metal pipes -- and began beating him mercilessly just because he supported Club America.
Cruz claims he suffered serious injuries in the attack including the complete loss of his left eye, brain damage, multiple skull fractures and permanent disfigurement.
We spoke with Cruz's attorney, Bill Daniels, who sent us video of the attack -- in which you can hear concerned bystanders shouting at the attackers to stop.
The violence expanded -- with Lodi police saying a full-scale brawl broke out with more than 100 people involved.
Now, Cruz is suing the promoters of the game and the City of Lodi for unspecified damages -- claiming organizers failed to provide adequate security ... especially since they promoted the game as a family-friendly event.
Cruz also claims the organizers should have known about the violent history between the rival fans that go back years.
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Conor McGregor Charges Dropped In Phone Smashing Case
Conor McGregor is off the hook in his Miami phone smashing case -- prosecutors have dropped the charges against the UFC star after the victim stopped cooperating with authorities.
"The victim of the crime does not wish to return to the United States and prosecute this case," prosecutor Khalil Madani said during a hearing on Monday.
As we previously reported, McGregor was captured on video getting into an altercation outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami on March with Ahmed Abdirzak -- who was visiting from the United Kingdom.
In the footage, you can see McGregor snatch the guy's phone, stomp on it ... and leave the hotel with it.
He was arrested hours later and ultimately charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief.
But now, prosecutors say Abdirzak has left the country and doesn't want to come back to aid in Conor's prosecution ... which everyone saw coming from a mile away.
Here's why ... Abdirzak had filed a civil lawsuit against Conor -- which McGregor ultimately settled out of court.
Translation -- Abdirzak probably got a huge payday and wasn't exactly motivated to help put Conor behind bars.
This now clears the way for Conor to negotiate his next UFC fight without having to worry about being unavailable because of incarceration.
Congrats?
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Kristaps Porzingis Left with a Bloody Face, Torn Shirt ... After Fight in Latvia
12:51 PM PT -- Shams Charania of The Athletic is now reporting that the Mavericks are investigating the incident Kristaps was involved in. He says the current understanding by the team is that he was jumped at a club, assaulted and hit with objects.
The Mavericks are investigating All-Star Kristaps Porzingis’ altercation in Europe over weekend and current understanding is he was jumped at a club, assaulted and hit by objects, @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium has learned.
@ShamsCharania
The Mavericks have yet to release an official statement.
Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis was reduced to a bloody mess in his home country of Latvia after he was apparently involved in a brawl that left him wanting more.
Eyewitnesses tell TMZ Sports ... the Euro NBA player was in his hometown of Liepaja over the weekend, where we're told he was celebrating some occasion through a number of clubs and pubs in the area.
Our sources say that a handful of Russians confronted Kristaps, supposedly upset with the fact that he was traded from the Knicks to the Mavs ... and an all-out tussle broke out. It would appear to have been pretty violent, 'cause Kristaps was bleeding from his head.
5/12/19
This video appears to capture the aftermath of the fight ... which almost wasn't over if Kristaps would have had his way. You can see him -- again, bleeding and with a torn shirt -- being held back by a woman at first, who he shoves aside.
Kristaps charges another group that's off camera, but a couple police officers plead with him to calm down and stand down. The entire exchange seems to be going on in their native tongue, Latvian.
The Mavericks haven't said anything about the altercation, and Kristaps himself has been quiet too.
Originally Published -- 11:43 AM PT
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Meghan Markle Nephew Tyler Dooley Nearly Snaps Ankle Off in Drunken Brawl
The gruesome injury Meghan Markle's nephew suffered is definitely NOT for the squeamish ... and TMZ's got video of it in the aftermath of a massive drunken brawl.
It all went down a week ago at around 11 PM outside the Wonder Bur Lounge in Grants Pass, Oregon, where Meghan's nephew, Tyler Dooley, somehow got dragged into a street fight that ballooned 20 people strong ... this according to a police report obtained by TMZ.
It's unclear what triggered the fight, but cops say Dooley was shoved to the ground and somehow broke his left ankle in spectacular form. If ya got the stomach for it ... check out the vid.
You can see Dooley tried walking it off ... but he can't stand on his own two feet cause his ankle's mangled. Cops say he was so drunk he didn't feel the pain from his ankle practically snapping off. Dooley was taken to a hospital and nobody was arrested.
Witnesses tell us as he was being wheeled inside the ambulance he said, "I have a Rolex. I can pay for this." Again, he was drunk.
Dooley, of course, is part of Meghan's extended family. You'll recall he and his brood traveled to London last year ... even though they weren't invited to Meghan's Royal wedding.
We've reached out to Dooley to get his side of the story, so far, no word back.
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Blac Chyna Allegedly Threatens Stylist with Knife Hairdresser Hurls Soda Cans
10:34 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that Blac Chyna appears as a named suspect on an assault with a deadly weapon report.
Blac Chyna and her hairdresser got into it early Saturday AM, and it allegedly ended with Chyna pulling a knife on the stylist who then hurled soda cans at Chyna's car.
Chyna and her stylist were at her San Fernando Valley home when things got heated ... we're told over money Chyna alleged owed the hairdresser.
We know the hairdresser filed a police report, claiming Chyna threatened her with a knife when the stylist asked for payment. Our Chyna sources deny she pulled a knife, but claim the hairdresser left in a huff and threw soda cans at Chyna's car.
We're told Chyna's 6-year-old child, King, whom she shares with Tyga, was present during the fight ... and now that a police report has been filed, we're told the L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family Services will get involved and at the very least do a welfare check.
This isn't the first time Chyna has gotten into it with the hired help. She and her makeup artist got into a fight in January at Chyna's home and the police were called.
Originally Published -- 9:49 AM PT
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Khabib Nurmagomedov Manager Working on Fight with GSP
Khabib Nurmagomedov is not abandoning hope for a super fight against UFC legend Georges St-Pierre ... his manager tells TMZ Sports he's actively working on getting the two in the Octagon.
Ali Abdelaziz not only reps Khabib -- but he's also close with GSP and helped get Georges back into fighting after a 4-year layoff to take on Michael Bisping in 2017.
Georges won that fight -- but hung up his gloves in early 2019 saying, "You should retire on top."
Now, Ali says the fighters have expressed to him that a Khabib vs. GSP matchup would be a "dream fight" on both ends ... but the trick is getting everyone to agree on money and a weight class.
"It's about weight," Ali says ... "The problem is about weight. What weight class do we fight at?"
If the two sides can strike a deal, the fight wouldn't happen any time in the immediate future -- Ali says Khabib has two fights to get through before he could get to GSP ... including a title fight with Dustin Poirier later this year.
Of course, Conor McGregor is also still in the picture -- he's demanding a rematch after Khabib dominated him at UFC 229 back in October.
Ali says Khabib feels Conor needs to prove he's worthy of a rematch -- considering he's lost 2 of his last 4 fights in the UFC.
And, if you like trash talk, there's a lot of that in this clip ... it's clear Ali ain't a fan of McGregor.
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Terence Crawford No Chance Against Errol Spence ... Says Jermell Charlo
Terence Crawford has a 100% chance of losing to Errol Spence when they finally fight ... this according to boxing superstar Jermell Charlo, who says Crawford has ZERO SHOT.
"I definitely believe Terence Crawford stands zero chance against Errol Spence. Zero. Zero."
That's what Crawford said when we got him out the Conga Room in L.A. this week, basically disrespecting the hell out of the undefeated Crawford, but telling us he has his reasons.
"Errol is the bigger, monster fighter."
Crawford vs. Spence is one of the biggest fights in boxing (if it could get made) and although it's known that Charlo and Spence are cool, it's still kinda surprising to hear him go this hard.
Even the Avengers were given a 1 in 14 million chance to beat Thanos ... and he had all 6 Infinity Stones.
BTW ... the Avengers ended up winning that fight (spoiler alert?!) ... just sayin' Jermell (oh give us a break, if you haven't seen it by now, we can't help you).
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Jack Swagger Will Get KO'd ... Says Factory Worker Opponent
Jack Swagger is fighting a factory worker who weighed 330 pounds 3 months ago ... and that regular dude, well ... he says he's gonna knock Swagger's ass out cold.
The former college wrestling and WWE Superstar -- government name Jake Hager -- has his 2nd pro MMA fight Saturday at Bellator 221. Swagger DOMINATED his first opponent ... submitting him in the 1st round.
Enter 6'2", 265 lb. T.J. Jones -- who holds down a 9 to 5 job at a meat factory in Kansas (yes, seriously) -- and basically has no experience as a fighter (he's 1-1).
Almost everyone believes Bellator's feeding Swagger a tomato to inflate his record -- someone who can't beat him.
Except Jones ain't with that program.
"I honestly don't think that he understands how fast I actually am," Jones tells us ... "The one thing that I've always been pretty blessed with is a super sweet left hook and a quick jab, and as soon as I land those, I think he'll go into panic mode."
Most fighter's don't reveal their fight game plan ... but T.J. had no problem laying out the blueprint.
"I'm gonna put my glove on his chin and he's gonna go down. That's the plan. We're gonna find out what his wrestling knows about my power."
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Neymar Suspended 3 Games For Punching Fan In Stands
You can't punch spectators, Neymar ...
The 27-year-old soccer superstar has been banned for 3 games after socking a fan in the face minutes after his team lost in the French Cup final last month, the French Football Federation announced.
Neymar's Paris Saint-Germain club had just lost to Stade Rennes in a 6-5 penalty shootout -- and the team was forced to walk through the crowd to collect their 2nd place medals.
During the walk, Neymar claims a fan lurched at him and began shouting various insults -- so Neymar popped the guy in the face.
Neymar appeared to smack someone in the face on the way to collect his runners-up medal last night after having a smartphone shoved in his direction by the man in question who was insulting him. pic.twitter.com/ubQQstObPo
@GFFN
The fan claims he suffered a bloody nose and a split lip from the punch. Neymar later commented, "I was wrong but I don't have cockroach blood."
The saying essentially means he won't back down from people when they cross a line.
Now, the FFF says Neymar won't play in the next 3 games for PSG -- a suspension the team has described as "severe."
PSG and Neymar will appeal the suspension.
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Addison Russell Booed By Cubs Fans ... In Return From Dom. Violence Suspension
Addison Russell was booed by his OWN fans in his return from a domestic violence suspension Wednesday ... with Wrigley Field lighting up the guy with jeers during his first at-bat.
As we previously reported ... the star infielder was banned from the Cubs for 40 games after his ex-wife accused him of physically and verbally abusing her.
Melisa Reidy -- who has a child with the 25-year-old -- accused Russell of name calling, intimidating with personal force and putting his hands on her during their 2-year marriage.
Addison began serving the suspension late last season ... but the Cubs brought him back for their game against the Marlins on Wednesday -- and fans weren't exactly pleased to see him.
Addison Russell comes to the plate; a lot of boos to say the least. pic.twitter.com/YYcAx5Zch8
@RooftopRundown
For the team's part ... President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said before the game Russell didn't deserve cheers from the home crowd, telling reporters, "I think he will receive an appropriate response and that's something he needs to take responsibility for."
Russell finished the night 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. The Cubs won in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the 11th, 3-2.
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Luke Perry's Son Destroys David Arquette ... In Pro Wrestling Event
JUNGLE BOY IS BACK!!!
David Arquette got beat up in public Wednesday night -- and the man who served up the smackdown is Jack Perry, son of Luke Perry.
Jack -- aka Jungle Boy -- had taken a hiatus from pro wrestling after his father passed away in March, but he took over the Bootleg Theater in L.A. Wednesday night where he put on a helluva show at Bar Wrestling's "It's Gonna Be May" event.
There were some high-flying acrobatics -- some brute power moves -- and finally, an athletic pin to seal the victory over Arquette.
After the match, Arquette wasn't bitter about the loss -- in fact, he was RAVING about Jungle Boy ... calling him one of the "greatest wrestlers working right now."
"He's just got so much talent, so much heart," Arquette told us ... "He's incredible. He's super smart."
"It's hard to believe he's so young and so talented but he started when he was just a little guy." Jungle Boy recently signed a deal with the AEW wrestling promotion -- and he's expected to make his debut there shortly.
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'Little Women: LA' Christy Gibel Seeking Order of Protection Against Husband Todd
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"Little Women: LA" star Christy Gibel says she needs court-ordered protection against her husband, and she needs it now ... TMZ has learned.
The reality TV star filed court docs Wednesday in L.A. County asking a judge to grant her a temporary restraining order against her hubby of 5 years -- Todd Gibel.
Our Christy sources claim Todd has been making life for her and her 19-year-old daughter from another relationship miserable in a number of threatening ways. For one, Christy says Todd has been impersonating her via email and shutting her out of her social media accounts. She also suspects he's been ripping up her mail.
On a more petty level ... Christy says Todd's been doing stuff like unnecessarily raising the temperature in the house to unbearable levels. For that reason and others ... Christy says she fears for her life and needs a force field between her and Todd.
The married couple has certainly been going through a tough time lately, as Todd has been battling depression. He told us late last month that he'd be seeking treatment to better his condition -- which he explained was severely affecting his marriage to Christy.
At the time, Todd said ... "Right now Christy and I still live together, but we are just co-existing."
There's been more drama at home, it seems, in recent days -- social media posts Todd's been putting up paint a picture of constant arguing over family coming to visit and their dogs.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Todd even called cops late Sunday night ... complaining about Christy's pup not shutting its yap when her niece came to visit. We're told cops instructed them to figure it out amongst themselves.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
They tried doing that by boarding all three of their dogs up for a day -- Monday, we're told -- but it appears Todd's now fighting with Christy about that too ... saying she's not releasing his own dog, Elvis, to him and holding it hostage against his will.
It's interesting ... if push comes to shove, you gotta wonder who'll have to move out -- as our sources tell us both Todd and Christy are on the lease to their place.
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'Big Brother' Christmas Abbott Cops Plea in Felony Case ... No Jail for Car-Smashing Rampage
Former "Big Brother" star Christmas Abbott struck a pretty sweet deal in her criminal mischief case -- she has a hefty bill to pay ... but won't spend any time behind bars.
Abbott -- who finished third on season 19 of 'BB' back in 2017 -- has been sentenced to 12 months probation and 25 hours of community service for a violent altercation with her baby daddy's girlfriend last year.
As we reported ... Christmas was arrested in November for the August 2018 incident, in which she drove to a Tampa gym to confront the woman and ended up flying off the handle and ramming into her car in the parking lot.
The only reason Abbott wasn't hauled in on the spot ... she was 8 months pregnant at the time. She turned herself after she gave birth to a son in October.
Christmas took a plea to a lesser charge -- misdemeanor criminal mischief -- and along with probation and community service ... she's on the hook for $1,357.95 in restitution and must complete an anger management class.
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Anderson Silva Pushes Dana White ... Make The Conor Fight Happen!!!
Anderson Silva ain't mincing words when it comes to his message for Dana White ... telling TMZ Sports he wants a fight with Conor McGregor ASAP!!!!
"Come on, boss," Silva says ... "Give this show for the fans. Give this show for the fans of UFC."
Remember, Silva has pleaded with the UFC honcho ever since Conor said in October 2018 he'd be "interested" in scrapping with Anderson.
He's Back! @TheNotoriousMMA talks about his return, getting the title back... and fighting Nate Diaz at 165 Lbs? 👀 pic.twitter.com/Ma4KBlRDn1
@UFCONFOX
But, Silva tells us he's still dead serious about making the fight happen ... and he even explained to Dana why the UFC should set it up!!!
"It's good money for you, Dana. And, a good challenge for me and Conor."
Silva says the fight should take place at a 180 pounds ... which means Conor would have to go up from his normal 155-pound division -- but Anderson says it'll be worth it in the end.
"That's the good fight for me and Conor ... It's a super, super, super fight."
As for Silva's upcoming match Saturday night at UFC 237 in Brazil, The Spider's stoked about fighting in front of his home country fans ... and tells us he has absolutely NO PLANS to retire -- no matter what goes down against Jared Cannonier.
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Kayla Harrison I'd Beat Khabib In a Judo Match
MMA star Kayla Harrison tells TMZ Sports she's 100% confident she could take Khabib Nurmagomedov in a judo match ... if he's man enough to step up!!!
Don't get it twisted, Kayla's not calling for a fist fight -- but if Khabib is down for a pure judo match, Kayla says she KNOWS she can win.
FYI, Harrison was a 2-time Olympic gold medalist (2012 and 2016 games) before making the switch to MMA. She's considered the most decorated American judo athlete of all time.
So, could she beat up some of the top guys in MMA???
No. Kayla knows she has a disadvantage when it comes to fighting men in mixed martial arts fight -- but she believes she's got the skill, speed and strength to beat men on the judo mat.
"Am I gonna beat Khabib? I mean I think I would beat him in a judo match. For sure. 100%. I would beat Khabib."
Of course, Khabib is known to have one of the most ferocious ground games in the UFC -- but without the ability to punch, Kayla thinks she has the advantage.
You can see Kayla put her skills on display when she takes on Larissa Pacheco in the main event at PFL1 on Thursday.
... and if Khabib's looking for some groundwork, he might wanna hit her up after the fight.
We also spoke with Kayla's manager, Ali Abdelaziz -- who also manages Khabib -- and he says he's down to set something up ... as long as the money's right!!!
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Ex-UFC Star Anthony Johnson Arrested for Domestic Violence ... Again
Ex-UFC star Anthony "Rumble" Johnson was arrested for domestic violence Monday night after admitting he got physical during an argument with his girlfriend, TMZ Sports has learned.
According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, a woman called police to report an altercation with her boyfriend, Anthony Johnson.
The woman claimed she had started to pack AJ's belongings to throw him out of the house when he forcefully picked her up -- "put her in a football hold" -- and carried her into another room.
The woman claims "she was scared due to his size and martial arts experience."
FYI, 35-year-old Johnson is a former UFC star who was 22-6 as a pro -- with wins over stars like Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader and Alexander Gustafsson.
Cops say the woman did not have any visible injuries.
When cops spoke with Johnson that night, he admitted he had grabbed the woman and carried her during the argument -- but says his intention was never to hurt her. Johnson claimed he simply didn't want to argue anymore.
Cops determined Johnson's actions warranted a domestic violence arrest -- so they took him into custody and hauled him to a nearby station where he was booked on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.
Johnson retired from the UFC back in 2017 -- after losing to Daniel Cormier. His profession on the police report is listed as "body building."
It's not the first time Johnson's been arrested for domestic violence. He was busted for a 2009 incident involving an ex-girlfriend and later plead no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.