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Halle Berry is getting dragged into the legal ring by a former UFC fighter ... Cat Zingano is suing, claiming Halle offered her a movie role but was ultimately snubbed.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Cat claims she met with Halle back in July, 2019 to talk about a movie HB was directing, "Bruised," and says Halle told her she was perfect for the project.

Cat claims Halle told her to keep her schedule clear because film production was on the horizon, but she says the UFC came calling soon thereafter with a big fight offer.

In the docs, Cat claims she talked to Halle about the fight offer and claims Halle advised she pass on the fight if she wanted to be in the film, citing liability concerns from the movie's insurer.

Cat claims she agonized over the decision -- the movie versus the big fight -- and says she ultimately turned down the fight.  She says the UFC then released her from her contract.

According to the suit, Cat claims she looped Halle in on her decision not to fight and her subsequent release from the UFC, and says she was shocked and dismayed when Halle told her she could no longer be involved in the movie because she was no longer fighting in the UFC. She claims she was told the movie could only work with UFC fighters.

Cat -- who's currently a Bellator fighter -- claims Halle has cut off all communications from her. She's suing for damages, claiming she relied on Halle’s promise and ended up getting screwed.

Lady Gaga's dog walker is trekking across the country to try and heal his emotional wounds from the horrifying shooting ... and he says he's fallen on hard times.

Ryan Fischer says he's 2 months into a 6-month journey across America, which he's calling a sabbatical, but now he's crowdfunding ... because he says his van broke down and he needs money for travel expenses.

He says he's been relying on donations after blowing through his savings, and he's not just looking for money ... he's also asking folks to recommend retreats for trauma, plus queer spiritual leaders and healers.

Ryan says he's felt scared, lonely, abandoned and unsupported during his first 2 months on the road ... adding that he's had long bouts of depression, doubt and self-pity.

TMZ broke the story ... Ryan was shot back in February as robbers made off with Lady Gaga's French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav ... leaving Ryan bleeding on the sidewalk and screaming for help.

The dogs were ultimately found unharmed, and the LAPD later arrested 5 suspects for the attempted murder and dog heist.

Ryan says he had to get out of Hollywood, where he "fought for my life and mobility" after getting shot, and now he's devoted to strengthening his emotional and mental health.

Ex-NFL star James Harrison says there's no need for a stunt double on the set of his new wrestling TV show ... revealing he does his ALL his own moves -- and it hurts!!!

As we previously reported, the former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker is taking his talents from the gridiron to the screen ... kickstarting a career in acting after 15 years in the NFL.

Harrison plays a journeyman wrestler named Apocalypse in the new Starz show, "Heels" ... which is about 2 brothers going to war with their rivals over their father's wrestling promotion in a small Georgia town.

Harrison joined "TMZ Live" to talk about his new gig ... and he says he's really doing all the complex moves himself!!

"The pain is real but the actual competition of it is not," Harrison said.

"The things that we're doing, we're actually working with each other to make sure that we do it safely and make it look painful as possible."

The 43-year-old ain't afraid to do anything -- from "jumping off the top rope, landing on someone, someone landing on you, taking a clothesline, taking a bump, when you hit your back on the mat, whatever -- that is real!

"That's real pain!!!"

In fact, 6-foot, 242-lb. Harrison tells us the first time he flipped out of the ring ... injuring his right knee, which required a 2-month break from shooting.

It's obvious Harrison -- who won 2 Super Bowls with the Steelers -- is taking acting very seriously ... and he's coming for The Rock's job!

A 110-year-old Honus Wagner card -- one of the most coveted pieces of sports memorabilia -- just SMASHED the previous record sale price for a card ... selling for $6.6 MILLION!!

As we previously reported, the "holy grail" 1909-1911 T206 Wagner card recently hit the Robert Edwards Auction block ... and was expected to bring in over $6 million.

Well, that's exactly what happened ... after 26 bids, the card sold for a record price of $6.6 million!!

"This is the Mona Lisa of baseball cards," Robert Edwards' President told us, "and it’s a statement piece of epic proportions."

FYI, the previous record price belonged to a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card and a LeBron James rookie card that both sold in 2021 for $5.2 million.

The Wagner card -- graded VG 3 (very good) by graders at SGC -- was made by American Tobacco Company ... and only about 50 to 60 are known to exist.

The identity of the (very wealthy) buyer is not known.

During his 21-year career -- mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates -- Wagner had 3,430 hits, 101 home runs, 722 stolen bases with a batting average of .329!

Honus also shares the NL record for the most batting titles (8) ever.

Jay-Z's latest hustle is big-time gambling ... he's signed on with some heavy hitters in a bid to open a sportsbook in NY, and the move could make him a pioneer in the billion-dollar industry.

TMZ has learned Jay's name is on one of the applications submitted to the NY Gaming Commission requesting approval for an online sports betting license. Sources with direct knowledge tell us he's partnering with his buddy, Sixers partner Michael Rubin, to form Fanatics Sportsbook, and they've teamed with Kambi ... a company that makes software used for online sports gambling.

Jay and Rubin's group is up against stiff competition ... including companies like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook and WynnBET.

We're told NY state will approve at least 2 of the 6 groups, and it's possible Jay-Z will be the secret weapon that puts his group over the top. Not only is he the most prominent public figure applying for a license, but he's the only Black applicant. While the other corporations might have Black employees or execs, they aren't the actual licensees ... whereas Jay would be.

You'd think the guy who rapped about his "Empire State of Mind" would at least have a leg up in his home state -- but there's probably a lot of politics at play too. The Gaming Commission has until December to make the call.

Sports gambling pulled in roughly $1.55 BILLION nationally last year, so it's easy to see why Jay and Rubin want in on the action. Our sources say their Fanatics Sportsbook will be headquartered in NYC, and Jay's already planning to hire a diverse staff -- race and gender-wise -- as he's done with Roc Nation.

Usher took major heat earlier this year after being accused of throwing fake money at real strippers -- but when you see this ... his so-called "bucks" are A-OK in context.

Check out these videos taken from one of Usher's Vegas residency shows from this past weekend -- during which an exotic dancer took the stage (and the entire building) by storm after performing a pole routine during Mr. Raymond's "Bad Girl" ... with a club-like set in tow.

The woman's name is Isis (the Goddess) ... and she's half naked on the pole, doing all sorts of flips and tricks in the air, while also twerking and knocking her boots ON BEAT at the same time -- this while Usher and the rest of his fellow performers look on and throw some kinda green her way. Some have speculated that, yes, they might be Ush bucks.

It's all part of the performance for that track, it seems, with the stage design made to be part of a larger set piece highlighting the "Bad Girl" narrative Usher's singing about. So, in this setting -- where the dancing isn't "real," per se -- it's NBD to throw his phony cash. Right???

WRONG!!! Or so it seems, anyway, based on some Twitter users' reaction to the clip -- which has since gone viral -- who *seem* to actually be upset that this gal might've been getting funny money thrown at her instead of real bills ... even though she's in on the show.

Whether the so-called outrage over this is sincere or not -- we can easily weigh in and say, the idea of being mad that this dancer wasn't collecting real greenbacks during the show is utterly outrageous. Because, frankly, she's probably collecting way more for her role BTS.

Of course, it's quite possible people are simply giving Usher a hard time (in jest) because of the brief controversy from a few months ago, where a stripper who wasn't part of his show claimed he'd thrown Ush bucks her way instead of real dough ... which he refuted.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka has stepped up in a big way to help victims of the massive earthquake in Haiti ... she's opening her wallet to provide badly-needed assistance.

Naomi has pledged to donate whatever prize money she wins at next week's Western & Southern Open to the Haitian relief effort.

Naomi, whose dad is Haitian, said, "Really hurts to see all the devastation that's going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can't catch a break," adding, "I'm about to play a tournament this week and I'll give all the prize money to relief efforts for Haiti.  I know our ancestor's blood is strong we'll keep rising."

The massive, 7.2-magnitude quake rocked Haiti Saturday. The casualty numbers are not final, but more than 300 people have died, hundreds have been injured and an untolled numb er have been displaced from their homes.

Naomi has been a fierce advocate of various causes, including mental health and social justice. She wore masks with the names of victims of police violence at last year's U.S. Open.

Another woman accused Trevor Bauer of physically assaulting her during sex, according to the Washington Post, who reports the accuser was granted a restraining order against the star pitcher in 2020.

However, Bauer claims the woman flat out lied ... and says her objective was to extort him out of millions of dollars.

On Saturday, The Washington Post reported a woman from Ohio previously accused the Cy Young award-winning pitcher of choking and punching her without consent while having sex with Bauer in 2017.

The Post also reported TB sent a threatening text to the woman, allegedly writing he didn't "feel like spending time in jail for killing someone" ... continuing, "And that's what would happen if I saw you again."

WaPo say court officials granted the woman a restraining order against Bauer in June 2020 -- after she received the menacing text.

The Post also says they've seen alleged injury photos the woman claims were sustained at the hands of Bauer. When shown the photos, the pitchers reps questioned the validity of the images, according to WP.

But, Bauer -- who himself has not addressed allegations of abuse since being accused in June 2021 -- finally broke his silence Saturday ... addressing accusations brought forth in the Post's story.

TB called the allegations "baseless" on social media, claiming he was the real victim of "a woman who has not only harassed and physically assaulted me but who also attempted to extort me for millions last year in exchange for her not coming forward with false claims."

Kelly Clarkson is fresh off a huge victory in her bitter divorce case, and sources tell TMZ she now wants to go full steam ahead to sell the Montana ranch which she owns, but there's a fly in the ointment -- aka, her estranged husband.

TMZ broke the story ... the judge ruled the prenup Kelly signed with husband Brandon Blackstock is valid. Brandon fought hard in the trial, but the judge upheld the prenup, which essentially says what she earned and acquired during the marriage is solely hers, and what he earned and acquired is solely his.

Kelly, who rakes in $1.5 mil a month to Brandon's $10k a month, bought the ranch ... so it's hers to do with what she wants. And, we know she wants to sell. Kelly's lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, filed docs a while back asking the judge for permission to sell the ranch, but Brandon's lawyers objected, saying any sale would be premature since there was no ruling on the prenup.

Well, now there IS a prenup ruling, so Brandon has no ownership interest and Kelly wants to sell.

Now, the fly in the ointment. Brandon is still ensconced in the Montana property, and that could make it hard to sell. A realtor may have real trouble selling if Brandon doesn't make showings available.

The next logical step would be for Kelly to go back to court and set the ground rules for selling the ranch -- e.g., how often it can be shown, how much advance notice should Brandon receive, etc. Another option on the table would be for a judge to order Brandon to move.

Joe Francis is dropping more than a million bucks to repair his beachfront estate in Mexico after a fire destroyed a large portion of it ... and it looks like it's going to be better than ever.

Sources familiar tell TMZ ... Joe's been rebuilding his famed Casa Aramara since the June blaze, and hopes to have it completed in around 7 weeks.

Twenty percent of the "Girls Gone Wild" founder's property was destroyed in the fire -- including the living and dining room in the main house, along with 3 bedrooms out of 15 -- so the cost for repairs has added up.

Our sources say the Casa's rebuild will include a new fire protection system that includes fire retardant chemicals, 30 concealed sprinklers in every room and a backup system. Joe feels fire officials in Mexico can't be relied upon, so he's becoming self-reliant.

We broke the story ... Joe's oceanside estate in Punta Mita partially burned down in mid-June. Our sources say the official report found the fire was caused by an electrical issue with the air conditioning.

If Daymond John sounds pissed off about people refusing to get vaccinated it's because the virus has already claimed the lives of 60 people he knows, and that includes an unvaccinated friend he just lost.

When the "Shark Tank" star joined us Friday for "TMZ Live" he said he'd just gotten word about that friend dying ... and his emotions about the vaccine certainly came through loud and clear as we discussed vaccine card mandates.

As you know, cities like NYC, San Fran and New Orleans are implementing mandates requiring patrons to show proof of vaccination in order to enter restaurants, gyms or any other indoor venues hosting sporting events or concerts.

Daymond firmly believes these measures should become the norm all across the country -- not just in a few cities -- because if it does, anti-vaxxers will eventually fold. Why? FOMO.

It's a similar sentiment to what Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told us about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis essentially blocking local officials from saving lives.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone are getting the keys to a beloved Colorado restaurant featured in "South Park" ... the real Casa Bonita is theirs, and the deal happened fast.

The "South Park" creators announced Friday they struck a deal to become the new owners of the Mexican restaurant made famous by their show, breaking the news in an interview with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

Bob Wheaton, the president of Casa Bonita's parent company, Summit Family Restaurant Inc., tells TMZ ... the deal was put together VERY quickly, with talks heating up Wednesday during a conference call with reps for Trey and Matt.

We're told Trey and Matt's team laid out a detailed plan for how they wanted to evolve the business, including pouring resources in to expand the food offerings, gift shop and arcade at Casa Bonita.

As we first told you ... Casa Bonita's corporate ownership was not interested in selling as recently as 2 weeks ago, despite filing for bankruptcy ... but Wheaton tells us Trey and Matt ultimately got Casa Bonita for 2 main reasons.

First, we're told Trey and Matt offered a "fair" price for Casa Bonita ... the exact price was not disclosed, but we're told the amount was one Summit would have sought in the future.

Second, we're told Trey and Matt also struck a deal with the restaurant's landlord, something corporate had been unable to do since March and an issue that lead to the bankruptcy filing.

Ultimately, we're told Casa Bonita is in good hands with its new owners ... and it sounds like everyone's happy.

Vinny Guadagnino is a rolling stone ... we're told the "Jersey Shore" star has a deal in place to sell his new L.A. home less than a year after buying the place.

Sources tell TMZ ... Vinny's Hollywood Hills house is under contract for a cool $3,850,000 only 9 months after he dropped $3,510,000 for the slick pad above Sunset Plaza.

It's worth noting ... the sale is not final yet. It's in escrow with a potential buyer, and as long as that person comes through with the dough it'll be a done deal at $3.85 million.

Of course, if anything goes wrong, Vinny will be open for someone else to make him an offer he can't refuse.

As we first told you ... Vinny scooped up the 3 bedroom, 2,685-sq.-ft. home back in November, and the place is decked out with a pool, soaking tube in the master suite and panoramic views overlooking West Hollywood, Century City and the Pacific Ocean.

Jamie Spears has agreed it's time to step down as conservator of Britney's estate -- he just said so in new legal docs -- and he wants to work with the court on an orderly transition.

We've learned Jamie's lawyer is filing legal docs in which he says, "There are, in fact, no actual grounds for suspending or removing Mr. Spears as the Conservator of the Estate ... and it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears' best interests."

And then, he lowers the boom ... "Nevertheless, even as Mr. Spears is the unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests. So, even though he must contest this unjustified Petition for his removal, Mr. Spears intends to work with the Court and his daughter's new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator."

The docs go on to say, "Regardless of his formal title, Mr. Spears will always be Ms. Spears' father, he will always love her unconditionally, and he will always look out for her best interests."

He goes on to attack Lynne Spears, saying she has had little, if any, involvement in the conservatorship, let alone Britney's life for the last 13 years. He says her credibility is undermined because Britney herself refused to even see Lynne when she was at a mental health facility in 2019.

He does say he essentially saved Britney when she was "in crisis, desperately in need of help" 13 years ago, adding, "Not only was she suffering mentally and emotionally, she was also being manipulated by predators and in financial distress. Mr. Spears came to his daughter's rescue to protect her."

In the docs, Spears' lawyer says Jamie had been working on a plan to leave the conservatorship with her then-attorney Sam Ingham.

He says he has never forced her to do anything, including performing.

We contacted Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, and he was unmoved by Jamie's decision to step down, telling TMZ ... "We are pleased but not necessarily surprised that Mr. Spears and his lawyer finally recognize that he must be removed. We are disappointed, however, by their ongoing shameful and reprehensible attacks on Ms. Spears and others."

Trevor Bauer says his assault accuser appeared to have edited her injury photos to make them seem worse than what they were ... and claims the woman later had hopes of striking a "major cash" settlement with the MLB star.

It's all spelled out in fiery new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which Bauer and his attorneys argue his accuser's request for a permanent domestic violence restraining order should be denied.

Of course, the woman claims Bauer gave her black eyes, bruises and other injuries during sex she did not consent to.

In the docs, Bauer's lawyers claim his accuser's text messages and emails to friends and legal team show the woman was not sexually assaulted by Bauer, but rather show she had simply wanted to end the Dodgers pitcher's career.

Bauer's attorneys also claim the woman had hoped to ultimately gain a monetary settlement from Bauer after she had filed for her initial temporary restraining order against him earlier this summer.

In the docs, Bauer's attorneys say the photos that the woman provided in her June TRO request "appear to be edited or filtered in a manner to give a misleading or false impression of her injuries."

They also say messages with her legal team show she had hoped Bauer would "offer me major cash then make me sign an nda" in a settlement.

Bauer's attorneys made it clear in the docs, though, that "no settlements or cash offers have or ever will be made."

Bauer's attorneys reiterated their stance that they believe the two sexual encounters between the baseball player and the woman in April and May were entirely consensual.

"[Bauer's accuser] has taken a proceeding designed to prevent future acts of 'domestic violence,' and turned it into a tool for attracting media attention and attempting to end [Bauer's] baseball career," Bauer's attorneys wrote.

As we previously reported, for weeks, Bauer and his legal team have said the 30-year-old committed no wrongdoing in his encounters with his accuser.

Klay Thompson's sweet tooth was working overtime late Wednesday night ... 'cause the Golden State Warriors star couldn't pass up on buying a bunch of candy from kids outside an L.A. hot spot!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the 3-time NBA champ as he was leaving the Highlight Room in Hollywood ... and while the guy seemed to be in great spirits, he was even happier when he saw a basket full of sugary sweets waiting for him.

Naturally, Klay whipped out his wallet and started passing out bills to the young businessmen ... sifting through bags of chocolates and gummies before settling on some Kit Kat bars and Snickers.

No word on the value of the bills Klay gave the kids ... but we're pretty sure the guy overpaid for the treats.

FYI -- Klay has made $182 million in his career so far and is in the middle of a 5-year, $190 million deal ... so yeah, some candy bars are def in the budget.

There's more for Dubs fans to enjoy -- Klay looks completely fine as he walks up to his SUV ... which is great to see as he comes off that devastating Achilles injury.