You Might Want to Rethink

Jorge Masvidal apparently doesn't want to wait 'til Saturday night to fight ... 'cause he nearly came to blows with someone on the streets of Miami on Friday morning.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the UFC star outside of the UFC 287 weigh-ins at the event's host hotel ... and you can see in the footage, he was clearly enraged at someone.

It's unclear exactly who the 38-year-old was quarreling with -- but one witness tells us the person yelled at Masvidal, "You're a clown."

The video shows Masvidal repeatedly trying to go after his heckler ... although he was constantly held back from exploding on the person. He eventually walked away from the scene before things got physical.

Masvidal tipped the scales at 171 pounds at the Friday morning weigh-in in preparation for his Saturday fight with Gilbert Burns. It's not known yet if this video was taken before or after the ceremonies.

Of course, this is not the first altercation Masvidal has been involved in this week in the leadup to the Burns fight ... he and Kevin Holland got into a heated spat on Wednesday at the UFC 287 host hotel as well.

Monica put a damper on her "Goonica" nickname, and a few fans' chances of landing more punches during a fight that erupted at her show.

The star singer was recently in D.C. for the R&B Experience Tour, and was bringing the house down with her hit ballad, "Why I Love You So Much" ... when she noticed the brawl breaking out in the stands right in front of her.

A confused Monica wondered what about her quiet storm classic could prompt people to fight and demanded they stop ... even offering to buy them a drink to cool them off.

“I ain’t singing 'Knuck If You Buck' baby, calm that s*** down,” she told the rowdy bunch, referencing Crime Mob's 2004 fight-starting record.

The bribe didn't seem to work and Monica suggested they take the scuffle outside ... and cleverly dropped her fan-favorite song "So Gone" to celebrate the fans' exit from the venue.

Monica has long been accused of having a thug side ... and did her best to explain the nickname to Stacey Abrams and Ciara last year during election season.

Lizzo and Jack Black's cameos in the latest episode of "The Mandalorian" is a casting choice 'Star Wars' icon Billy Dee Williams can get behind -- and he gives us his thoughts as to why the team picked them for the series.

ICYMI, spoilers -- Lizzo and Jack can be found in Episode 6 of the Disney+ series' third season ... appearing in a scene as the queen and king of Plazir-15. And, of course, people went nuts.

Billy tells us he's backing the choice wholeheartedly -- pointing out how franchises are always coming up with new ways to grab a younger audience.

He sees it as good business and understands what the crew was thinking with Lizzo and Jack, even if die-hard fans of the series are the ones marking it as a dumb move.

It's debatable, but some online think the two just aren't believable in the 'Star Wars' universe ... because of how recognizable they are. The franchise has had a slew of cameos in the past, but some fans seem to have had enough -- looks like Billy sure hasn't.

BTW -- Christopher Lloyd also popped up in the same episode, but people weren't as concerned with an unscheduled visit from Doc.

John Leguizamo is again crying foul over "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" -- complaining about the lack of diversity in the cast.

The actor was in NYC Wednesday -- the same day the new animated film hit theaters -- and we got him to sound off on whether he'd changed his opinion from last year ... namely, whether he'd be watching the new adaptation of everyone's favorite video game character.

As it turns out, John hasn't budged on his original position ... dude's definitely not catching it, and he's still pissed there weren't any Latinos to be cast.

In between photos he was taking with fans on the street, John reiterated what he's been going on about since the fall ... basically, he feels like Nintendo and the studio heads behind 'SMBM' took a step backward by getting Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as Mario/Luigi -- neither of whom technically have Italian roots ... unlike their made-up characters.

You'll recall ... Bob Hoskins and John played the roles, respectively, in the live-action version.

JL says he wanted to see a Hispanic actor in the lineup again, and is sour that nobody from Latin America got a shot. It's unclear if John is advocating for true/accurate casting -- for which there's been a big push -- or if he just wants to see more Latin representation.

"Enough is enough."

That's the message Roc Nation is sending Italian soccer fans -- and people across the entire world -- after Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku was berated by hateful "fans" making monkey noises during the game against Juventus F.C. on Tuesday.

Jay-Z's agency, which reps Lukaku, purchased a full-page advertisement in Italy's daily sports newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport, which is headquartered just a few miles from where the racist incident went down at Allianz Stadium in Turin.

"Dear Italy, Do better. Want better. Be better," the letter, translated into English, begins.

"In professional [soccer], Black players have been subjected to hatred during professional [soccer] games. The hatred has displayed itself in the form of monkey chants, racial slurs and banana peels tossed at the best players in the world, as the world watches, as the children watch, as the players' families watch."

"No one has faced any consequences for this heinous behavior. Nothing has changed. No action has been taken."

Of course, as the ad suggests, this isn't the first time a Black player -- and Romelu in particular -- has been forced to endure racist behavior from fans.

29-year-old Lukaku, who was berated on Tuesday after converting a penalty kick against Juventus in the Coppa Italia semifinal match, was targeted by a racist group of fans in 2019.

Back then, Romelu, who again converted on a PK, was subjected to similarly gross behavior after his squad defeated Cagliari.

Roc Nation talks about the power of soccer to unite and then goes on to ask people around the world to take action to stop these ugly acts.

"We call on the worldwide community of sports - players, team owners, artists, brands and all fans - to denounce this racist behavior and hold bigots accountable to a human standard. One which upholds decency, respect and compassion for others."

Former Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph's assault case was dismissed Wednesday ... after the woman who accused him of strangling her reportedly refused to testify.

The Lancaster County Attorney's Office confirmed the dismissal to TMZ Sports ... explaining the case has now been sealed.

According to the Associated Press, Erica Pruess, a prosecutor in Lancaster County, told a judge that she received an email from the accuser in Joseph's case in February stating she would not testify.

Additionally, Pruess said law enforcement authorities in Arizona, where the woman allegedly lives, tried to serve her a summons requiring her to appear before a judge -- but their attempts were unsuccessful.

55-year-old Joseph was initially arrested for assault by strangulation back in November ... after police responded to his home, where he and his wife, Priscilla Joseph, live, to investigate a domestic dispute.

According to legal documents, Joseph had been embroiled in an argument with a woman who told police Joseph "pushed me on the couch and strangled me."

The woman, who's yet to be identified, told police that Joseph -- who took over the reins for the Cornhuskers after the program fired Scott Frost in Sept. 2022 -- punched her in the face during the alleged assault.

When police interviewed the accuser ... they observed visible injuries and swelling around the woman's left eye.

Nebraska placed Joseph on administrative leave following his arrest ... but the program fired him two weeks later.

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku's representation is demanding an apology and calling for punishment after Juventus fans appeared to hurl racist chants at the star striker during a soccer match on Tuesday.

The alleged incident happened after Lukaku scored a late penalty shot to tie it up at 1-1 against Juventus in the Coppa Italia semi-final at Allianz Stadium in Turin.

While the 29-year-old was celebrating by taunting Juventus fans with a "be quiet" hand gesture -- which got him a second yellow card -- they made "monkey" noises towards Lukaku ... something Romelu's reps claim was happening all match.

The alleged chants were caught on video ... and you can see upset fans making noise toward the field.

Michael Yormark, president of Roc Nation Sports International which represents Lukaku, released a statement ... saying the incident was "beyond despicable and cannot be accepted"

"Romelu scored a penalty late in the game. Before, during, and after the penalty, he was subjected to hostile and disgusting racist abuse. Romelu celebrated in the same manner he has previously celebrated goals."

Yormark adds that Lukaku deserves an apology from Juventus and the league should condemn those who yelled the racist chants.

"The Italian authorities must use this opportunity to tackle racism, rather than punish the victim of the abuse. I am certain that the footballing world shares the same sentiment."

NLE Choppa's "Slut Me Out (Remix)" hasn't even dropped yet, but it's already pissing off some people in the industry ... due to what they see as blatant misogyny.

The Memphis rapper teased the visual for his updated track on Monday, which raised plenty of eyebrows -- it shows him dog-walking his female costars Sukihana and "Pound Town" rookie rapper Sexxy Red by their colorful weaves.

Sukihana's rap career revolves around XXX tropes and Sexxy Red has been going viral for her song's "my booty-hole brown" lyric ... so yeah, NLE's casting for the video was, arguably, spot-on.

However, Lil Mama disapproved of what she witnessed ... only for Sukihana to get wind of the since-deleted comments, and quickly dragged the "Lip Gloss" rapper for her infamous Jay-Z stage crash of 2009.

An unbothered Lil Mama responded to Suki with an eloquent tongue-lashing -- explaining she feels Black women like Suki uphold negative sexual stereotypes, despite history proving it's the wrong route to go.

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to NLE about the track, and he claimed it was an empowerment anthem ... but good luck convincing folks of that, now that the video clip is out.

Finn Balor needed 14 staples to close the huge head gash he suffered during his Hell in a Cell match with Edge at WrestleMania 39 ... and if you didn't believe it, the WWE Superstar is providing the gnarly photographic evidence.

Balor posted pics of the staples he received following his brutal match with the Rated R superstar ... and the images of all his injuries are not for the faint of heart.

Remember ... Edge threw a ladder at Finn during their match on Sunday, causing the Demon King to bleed profusely from his head -- and the contest to be temporarily stopped.

WWE referees and medical staff tended to Finn immediately ... but the damage was already done, and Balor's body marks just go to show how physical his match was.

Balor and Edge have been engulfed in a rivalry for a while ... and you can tell by the level of physicality each Superstar was out to prove something to the other.

Finn's head wasn't the only part of his body affected at WrestleMania ... Edge hit Balor with several kendo sticks multiple times throughout the night, leaving his back bruised.

It wasn't all one-sided -- Finn had his fair share of moments against Edge, most notably when he put him through a table and delivered his signature Coup de Grace finisher.

In the end, it didn't matter -- Edge pinned Balor after finishing him off with his famous ConChairTo, but Finn earned the respect of many WWE fans for his gutsy performance.

Angel Reese has an unlikely ally ... Iowa star Caitlin Clark is coming to the defense of the newly crowned NCAA champ, straight up saying "I don't think there should be any criticism for what she did."

Of course, 21-year-old Clark found herself at the center of the biggest sports story in the country on Monday, after 20-year-old Reese threw up John Cena's famed "You Can't See Me" celly right in CC's face during the waning seconds of Sunday's women's national championship game.

Reese was instantly attacked online, with many people calling her actions unsportsmanlike. Defenders of Angel pointed to Caitlin's use of the Cena celebration during the very same NCAA tourney. Clark's defenders pointed out she didn't do it in her opponent's face. And, the debate raged on.

But, now Clark is weighing in ... and hopefully putting an end to the debate -- was Angel right or wrong.

"I think the biggest thing is we're all competitive. We all show our emotions in a different way. Angel is a tremendous, tremendous player. I have nothing but respect for her. I love her game, the way she rebounds the ball, scores the ball is absolutely incredible. I'm a big fan of her and even the entire LSU team," Clark said during an interview with ESPN.

"Like I said, they played an amazing game so I don't think there should be any criticism for what she did. I honestly didn't see it when the game was going on and like I said, I haven't been on social media really at all."

FYI, despite the criticism (there was also a bunch of support), after the game, Reese made it clear she wasn't going to apologize.

Caitlin also addressed Jill Biden's recent comments, where she remarked she'd tell her husband, President Joe Biden to invite the losing Iowa team because "they played such a good game."

FLOTUS was destroyed for the comment ... as it's customary for the winner of a championship, never the loser, to head to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave for some face time with the prez.

"I don't think runner-ups usually go to the White House. I think LSU should, you know, enjoy that moment for them."

So, debate settled??? Probably not.

We covered it all in a recent episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms!

Jarryd Hayne -- a former NFL running back and professional Australian rugby league footballer -- has reportedly been convicted of rape after standing trial for a third time.

According to BBC News, Hayne, who starred as a winger for the Parramatta Eels of Australia's NRL, was found guilty ... after being accused of performing non-consensual sexual acts on a woman at her Newcastle home in Australia in 2018.

The prosecution argued that the woman told Hayne she did not want to have sex with him after she realized a taxi was waiting for her outside.

35-year-old Hayne and his legal team, however, insisted their encounter was consensual.

In 2020, Hayne's first trial in the case resulted in a hung jury. Hayne was then convicted in 2021 and sentenced to five years and nine months in prison, but he appealed, and a three-panel judge ordered a new trial.

A sentencing date has not yet been revealed.

Hayne transitioned from the NRL to the NFL in 2015 ... where he spent one season with the San Francisco 49ers, rushing for 52 yards on 17 carries in eight games.

While Jarryd was playing for the 49ers ... police investigated another accusation of sexual assault but ultimately did not charge Hayne with any crime.

The woman claimed she had been heavily intoxicated during their alleged encounter ... and filed a lawsuit against Hayne in 2017.

Kaya Stewart, the daughter of Eurythmics star Dave Stewart, is off "American Idol" -- despite her Rock HOF lineage ... she made a shocking and tearful exit from the competition's Hollywood Week.

Kaya was supposed to perform a duet on Monday night's episode with 22-year-old Fire -- but she stunned just about everyone when she said she was quitting the show because she'd been ill all week.

She broke down as she told the judges -- Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan -- she'd been unable to fully recover, so she wouldn't be continuing on the show.

Her surprise exit had poor Fire tearing up, but she powered through to sing ... with help from another contestant.

Jayna Elise had been sitting in the audience, and volunteered to duet with Fire ... and they crushed Adam Lambert's hit, "What Do You Want From Me." Fire did most of the vocals and had the judges on their feet, crying for her performance.

As they say ... the show must go on, and Fire did that and then some.

Kaya had been a controversial pick by the judges. Not that she wasn't a good singer, but she auditioned with her superstar father -- who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside Lionel -- playing guitar for her.

It sparked the ol' nepotism, or "nepo baby," conversation again. Haters say her dad's celeb status got her a spot on the show that could have gone to someone else.

Former Ohio State star Darron Lee -- who was picked by the Jets in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft -- was arrested Monday ... after he was accused of beating the hell out of both his mom and the mother of his child.

The disturbing allegations are all spelled out in court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

According to the docs, police were called out to a residence in Dublin, Ohio at around 5:30 PM on Monday after the mother of Lee's 2-year-old son, Lindsey McGlone, said Lee had attacked his mom, Candice Lee, at the home.

McGlone claimed she was downstairs in the kitchen when she heard Candice yelling at the top of the stairs. She said when she ran up, she saw Candice "lying on her back with Mr. Lee overtop of her with a raised fist."

In the docs, cops say Candice told them she had shown up to the residence after McGlone told her she wasn't feeling safe around Darron. According to cops, Candice said she went upstairs, found Darron lying on the floor of a bedroom, and told him he needed to leave.

That's when she claims the former football player snapped, began yelling at her, and then grabbed her by her shirt and pushed her into a wall twice. Candice said Darron then threw her to the ground and punched her in the face and the back of her head repeatedly. She claimed Darron also pulled her hair. She said it was all broken up when McGlone ran upstairs and pulled Darron off of her.

According to the docs, police said Candice had swelling injuries on her left cheek -- as well as head pain. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Following the incident, cops say McGlone then accused Darron of being violent with her on a different occasion back in 2022.

She said it all happened on Oct. 17, when Darron believed McGlone was cheating on him. In the docs, cops say McGlone told them Darron got on top of her while she was in bed, and said "that he would kill her and their child." She then claimed he punched the pillow next to her head multiple time,s before he squeezed her throat.

Police say the woman said when Darron eventually got off of her, he grabbed her phone and threw it at a wall. McGlone said it bounced and struck her in the head, causing her ear to bleed.

According to the docs, she said that she then went downstairs -- but Darron followed her, and continued his attack. McGlone claimed Darron grabbed her by her neck, lifted her up, swung her around and then dropped her onto the ground. She told cops she was eventually able to grab the couple's child and leave before things escalated further.

For his part, Darron -- according to the documents -- told cops McGlone had struck him in the face during the altercation. He also denied ever throwing anything at her or putting his hands on her neck.

Cops, though, said they observed photographs of McGlone's injuries as well as pictures of her broken phone and a journal entry she had written on that date.

Darron was ultimately arrested ... and court records show he was hit with four separate charges -- two counts of misdemeanor domestic violence and two counts of misdemeanor assault.

Jail records show as of Tuesday morning, the 28-year-old was still behind bars.

Darron starred at Ohio State from 2013 to 2015 ... and was such a touted linebacker prospect, the NY Jets selected with the No. 20 overall pick in '16. He played three seasons with the team, before he was traded to the Chiefs, where he helped the KC win Super Bowl LIV.

Chaos erupted at UConn's campus following the Huskies' national championship win on Monday night -- with the team's fans smashing windows, tearing down light poles ... and even lighting fires in the streets.

The hectic celebration in Storrs, Conn. happened just moments after the UConn men's basketball team completed its dominant NCAA tournament run by beating San Diego State in the final, 76-59.

Videos from the scene show fans were ruthless with property on and near UConn's campus ... with supporters at one point grabbing a huge pole and ramming it into a glass door over and over again until it completely broke free.

Other footage shows people lit fires that authorities had to deal with. Fans were also seen climbing light poles ... before ripping them down.

There was even an overturned car in a parking lot.

No word yet if any arrests were made -- a UConn spokesperson tells us they're still gathering information.

As for how the team celebrated the W in Houston, Texas ... it was far less disorderly. The guys soaked in the confetti -- before they cut down the nets.

There will ultimately be a party when the guys get back to campus -- but here's to hoping it features a whole lot less destruction.

Los Angeles Angels star Anthony Rendon was just punished for his heated altercation with a fan last week ... getting slapped with a 5-game ban and a fine.

Major League Baseball senior VP for on-field operations Michael Hill shared the decision minutes ago ... saying unless Rendon appeals, the suspension will begin immediately, which means he would be eligible to return to the Angels on Sunday against the Blue Jays.

As we previously reported, Rendon grabbed an Athletics fan and attempted to hit him after the Halos' 2-1 loss in Oakland ... seemingly over being called a "bitch."

The interaction caught Oakland PD's attention ... and an investigation was launched.

"Although we are still unaware who the victim is, surveillance video of the incident has surfaced," cops said in a statement. "As a result, OPD created an incident, made a report, and is actively investigating."

Carson Briere is no longer a member of the Mercyhurst Univ. men's ice hockey team -- the program just gave him the boot ... less than a month after he was seen on video shoving a woman's wheelchair down a flight of stairs at a local bar.

The school announced the move in a statement on Monday afternoon ... saying the 23-year-old had been "removed" from the team. It's the second time in his college career that he's been kicked off an ice hockey roster -- he was previously dismissed from Arizona State's team in 2021 after the program said he violated rules.

Briere had initially been suspended from the Mercyhurst squad days after the March 11 incident at Sullivan's Pub and Eatery in Erie, Penn. ... with the school saying at the time it was investigating the matter.

It's unclear if any new findings in the probe led to the decision Monday -- the school declined to comment further on it all in its statement.

Briere is still facing criminal charges in the case -- he was hit with one count of criminal mischief, one count of disorderly conduct, and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal mischief ... after a police report claimed he seriously damaged the chair that had been purchased for $2,000 in 2022.

Briere is due in court for a hearing in the case next month.