Kohl Laren's a professional MMA fighter, but he may be best known for his adorable and unique pet, Daisy the opossum ... who's become a social media star!
Laren, 31, and Daisy stopped by the TMZ offices for a chat with Babcock this week, where the pro fighter explained how he started rescuing the marsupials, the misconceptions people have, and more.
Daisy's become a thing online -- with millions of views on her videos -- but the journey for Kohl started with a simple bike ride.
"I just found one little opossum in Seal Beach when I was riding my bike. I took it into a bush, it was by itself, teeny, tiny. When I set it down, I was like, 'I don't know if you're gonna live if I leave you here,' and I couldn't do that," Laren said.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
So, he took the opossum (not Daisy) ... and quickly realized he had his hands full. But, Kohl, after doing some research, found out there were resources available to him.
Laren, with some help, nursed the sick animal back to health ... and it was ultimately released back into the wild.
Thanks to some attention Kohl received after successfully saving the first opossum, people began to come to him when there was an animal in need ... and that's exactly how he got Daisy.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
A farmhand reached out to Kohl a few months ago and asked if he could take her ... and he said yes.
"I gave her a once over when I got her, she didn't seem to have any injuries, but she was so teeny, tiny," Laren said.
"I just held her. She took to me immediately. It got to the point where she would be with me while I was brushing my teeth. She hangs out with me all night. Even when she's running around doing her thing, she makes her way back to me, and I take care of her, love on her, and she just loves being with me."
Kohl has already helped a bunch of animals, but he says he wants to do even more once he retires from fighting ... and that's awesome.
Kenny Smith admits the NBA went straight for the Clippers' neck, but he doesn't think the punishment was excessive ... when you consider Steve Ballmer's team skirted the rules in a major way!
TMZ Sports spotted the hooper-turned-analyst at LAX on Friday, and asked him whether The Association went too hard.
"You're gonna have to suffer consequences for that kind of behavior," Smith told us.
"You're vehemently cheating. You're not just toeing the line. You're actually cheating and you're cheating at a high level. You're circumventing the salary cap. You're giving yourself an unfair advantage that no one else has, and you have to have severe penalties for that or other people will say, 'Well we can do it.'"
Aaron Rodgers is looking forward to retirement ... and says he hopes to start a family with his wife.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback opened up about his future during an interview with SiriusXM's "Mad Dog Sports Radio," saying he's hoping to be "supporting my pregnant wife" by this time next year.
Waiting for your permission to load the Twitter Tweet.
Rodgers said he and his wife, publicly known as Brittani, plan to start a family after he steps away from football following the 2026 season.
"I'm looking forward to a life of quiet after 22 years in the pros and three in college," he said ... adding he's also focused on healing his body and building a family.
Aaron Donald feared his ex Jaelynn Blakey’s dog may harm their kids and rushed to court weeks before the NFL season starts, TMZ has learned.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Aaron, who shares two minor kids with Jaelynn, requested primary custody until the dog was removed from Jaelynn’s home. The California Post was the first to report the news.
Aaron said their kids were in immediate danger each time they were at her home and came close to the French bulldog.
WNBA boss Cathy Engelbert is heading for the exit ... the league's commissioner will retire at the end of the year after a firestorm of controversy plagued this season.
Engelbert, at the helm for seven seasons, will step away at the end of the year, TMZ Sports has confirmed.
Her time at the top of the league was a mixed bag.
The W grew in many ways, from viewership and attendance to lucrative media deals. They're also expanding, with six more teams joining the league by 2030.
But many of the gains have been overshadowed by controversy.
Kurt Busch opened up about his brother Kyle's sudden death in a new interview ... and he's clearly still stunned by the development -- especially because he insists no one knew how sick he was.
The NASCAR star opened up about Kyle's final days in an interview on Anderson Cooper's "All There Is" podcast ... telling the veteran journalist that people around Kyle noticed he had a little cough -- but he seemed totally fine otherwise.
He notes Kyle won a race -- the 2026 Ecosave 200 Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover Motor Speedway -- days before he died ... and even visited an indoor go-kart track with his son two days before he passed.
Kurt says these aren't the actions of a man so close to death ... and one look at him shows he's still shocked.
TMZ Sports caught up with the retired NBA player-turned-podcasting star at Ryan Garcia's open workout in Los Angeles this week ... and Barnes weighed in on one of the league's most polarizing hoopers.
“A lot of people wanna say his dad got him drafted, and that may be true, may not be true,” Matt told us. “But Bronny has a lot of talent, and I just thought if he would’ve stayed just one more year, he could’ve did it on his own.”
Mark Sanchez has agreed to plead guilty in connection to the stabbing incident that took place in Indianapolis last year ... TMZ has learned.
According to court documents ... the former New York Jets star came to an agreement with prosecutors just 5 days before his criminal trial was set to begin -- asking the judge to set aside the trial start date and "set this matter for a guilty plea and sentencing hearing."
Sanchez's legal advisor, Nick Sanchez Jr., said, “This is a positive development. We are finalizing an agreement with the prosecutor’s office that provides a path toward resolving the state’s case. We’re also encouraged by the constructive conversations taking place regarding the related civil matter. There is real momentum toward bringing this entire chapter to a close."
3:38PM PT -- A Wintrust Arena spokesperson tells TMZ ... "The Chicago Sky's decision to ban Enes Freedom is only applicable to the Chicago Sky or WNBA games, it does not apply to the majority of events at Wintrust Arena, including other sporting events, comedy shows, and concerts."
They declined to comment on Mr. Freedom's lawsuit.
Former NBA star Enes Kanter is taking Chicago Women’s Basketball and the City of Chicago to court -- demanding a permanent injunction lifting the ban on him, TMZ has learned.
In his suit, Enes claimed that he believes deeply that the integrity of women-only sports must be protected and he had made public appearances on this point.
He said he self-identified as a player who is eligible to play in the WNBA because, “such declaration is all that is required by WNBA’s rules and the related Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the players’ association.”
Late NASCAR star Greg Biffle’s ex-wife, Nicole Biffle, wants his estate to pay hefty damages after she lost her daughter in a plane crash ... TMZ has learned.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Nicole filed a claim against the late driver's estate in the amount of $10 million for Emma Biffle’s death on December 18, 2025, in North Carolina.
Emma was on board the fatal flight with Greg, and Nicole has already filed a wrongful death action against the estate. In the new docs, Nicole is asking for an order preventing the estate from making any further distributions to ensure there is money left over to pay her claim and similar ones filed by the estates of others who died in the crash.
A man was found hanging from a bridge just outside Dodger Stadium Wednesday night -- as Shohei Ohtani and his teammates took on the St. Louis Cardinals just hundreds of yards away.
LAPD told the California Post, which first reported the story, that the unidentified man was found around 8:48 PM ... at the intersection of Bernard Street and Stadium Way, while the Dodgers were playing the second game of a series against St. Louis.
Police responded to the area after receiving 911 calls about a dead body "in plain sight."
Nothing says newlywed bliss like a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth ... and that's exactly where Jordyn Woods and Karl-Anthony Towns were this week.
The cute couple hit up Disneyland on Tuesday ... just a couple weeks after tying the knot in a star-studded ceremony.
TMZ obtained photos and a video of the outing ... and you can see the newlyweds having a blast as they made their way through the Anaheim amusement park.
Congressman Eric Burlison used TMZ D.C.'s Jacobfor batting practice while talkin' about "The Show" outside the Capitol, savagely trolling the Dodgers!
Burlison, who reps Missouri in the House, was choppin' it up with the TMZ guys in the nation's capital on Thursday ... when a friendly convo turned into a heated baseball debate.
Charlie Cotton asked Burlison what he did to relax, offering up a softball ... only for him to send back a four-seamer, high and tight.
Dianna Russini was in "clear violation" of The Athletic's newsroom standards because of her relationship with Mike Vrabel ... an internal investigation found.
The Athletic's editorial director, Mike Semel, published the findings Thursday, saying ... "Russini's relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic's standards. Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed."
Semel went through 903 videos, 77 videos, 204 episodes of her "Scoop City" podcast -- he also interviewed her coworkers and listened to her off-platform appearances and interviews -- and says he didn't find "a clear link" that shows Russini used her position to give Vrabel a leg up.
Semel write ... "That said, there are examplesof Russini writing glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable."
Kroy Biermann Jr. is asking a judge to release him from jail on bond as his criminal case proceeds ... arguing he's no flight risk and his stellar academic and athletic record is evidence of his good character.
Lawyers for Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's son filed documents requesting his release in a Georgia court Wednesday afternoon ... insisting he is a good kid and there's no danger of him fleeing.
The attorney points out Kroy Jr. is "a high school student in good standing who has demonstrated strong academic achievement" and is also receiving scholarships for his athletic prowess.
Alphonso Smith Jr. appeared to be in good spirits just days before his death ... knocking repeatedly on a door while offering to buy a family breakfast.
In a video posted to the late athlete's Facebook, Alphonso can be heard telling the family he was going to buy them whatever they wanted for breakfast ... even continuing to holler from outside as he looked for "#3."
Alphonso captioned the post, “Oh nothing, JUST TRYING to see what #3 & his family want for BREAKFAST THIS MORNING...” -- offering a glimpse into his final days before his death.
