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Jake Paul's next opponent could be his biggest challenge to date -- it's none other than UFC legend and pro boxer Anderson Silva, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

47-year-old Silva is the former UFC middleweight champ ... and some even consider him the greatest MMA fighter ever, beating names like Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin and more.

We know what you're saying -- another UFC fighter?? But, anyone who's been following Silva's career knows the guy has had a resurgence in boxing ... and currently holds a 3-1 record. He most recently beat Tito Ortiz in September 2021. The loss came ages ago in 1998.

His most impressive accomplishment in the ring was a win over Julio Caesar Chavez, Jr. -- son of the legendary Mexican fighter -- who at one time was the WBC middleweight champ.

Paul, on the other hand, is 5-0 with four knockouts. He's beaten big names like ex-NBA player Nate Robinson and former UFC stars Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.

Meghan Markle drawing a parallel between her marriage to Prince Harry and Nelson Mandela's prison release is pissing off a lot of people ... especially Mandela's grandson.

To be fair, The Duchess of Sussex says it was someone else who made the comparison, but going public with it is blowing up in her face.

She recently told The Cut -- she's the cover story -- about an exchange she had at the 2019 London premiere of the live-action "Lion King" film ... claiming a South African cast member told her, "When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison."

Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson, doubts that conversation ever happened, though ... telling Daily Mail his grandfather's celebration was "based on overcoming 350 years of colonialism with 60 years of a brutal apartheid regime in South Africa. So, It cannot be equated to as the same."

As you know, under Apartheid rule, Mandela served 27 years in prison for sabotage and treason before his release ... and Mandla doesn't think South Africa's joy for that event can be fairly compared to Meghan marrying into royalty.

Meghan spilled a lot during her recent interview ... including her eventual return to Instagram after having to give up her personal account due to royal control.

She says, "Why would I give the very people that are calling my children the N-word a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child?”

She doesn't point fingers at any specific person or moment, though.

"Hey, hey we're the Monkees and people say we monkey around, but we're too busy singing to put anybody down."

With that kinda subversive language you can understand why the FBI investigated 60s hitmakers, the Monkees ... said absolutely no one -- and now the band's lead singer wants answers from the feds.

Micky Dolenz filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday to "obtain any records the FBI created and/or possesses on The Monkees as well as its individual members."

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Micky filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Bureau back in June, and he says it acknowledged getting his request ... but since then it's gone radio silent.

As ridiculous as this sounds, because it is, it's already known the FBI was watching closely when The Monkees went on tour in 1967. It came out a decade ago an informant went to one of the shows and reported "subliminal messages" on the screen behind the band.

Those included images of the Vietnam war, riots on the Berkeley campus and in Selma, Alabama -- aka, "left wing intervention of a political nature" ... according to the FBI, which was then run by J. Edgar Hoover.

Dolenz, who's now 77 and the only surviving member of the group, has had enough of the feds' bureaucratic red tape, and wants a judge to force the FBI to hand over all of its records on the band.

Mama June was notably absent from her daughter Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson's 17th birthday party ... but that didn't stop her from sending a much-needed apology in light of their estrangement.

Mama June sent a lengthy text message the day before Alana's 17th ... saying how proud she is of who her daughter's become, and wishing her a happy birthday.

She even apologizes for everything she put Alana through -- adding, "Im here now whenever u need me." She says work has to get done to fix what's broken, but is confident a change is comin'.

As you know, the waters between the two of them haven't been calm in recent years ... June lost her relationship with her family after getting busted for cocaine possession in 2019.

Alana's sister, Pumpkin -- who became her guardian after a failed intervention -- signed off for her sister to have a weight-loss procedure last month -- something Mama June told us she wouldn't have given a thumbs up to.

But, it looks like the healing might've begun, despite their falling out -- Mama June tells TMZ Alana responded to her recent text ... thanking her for the message, and saying she loves her mom too.

It wasn't just a perfect night for Serena Williams in the first round of the U.S. Open -- it was a match made in heaven for President Bill Clinton, too ... 'cause #42 had a seat right next to famous sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer!!

Wonder what they talked about.

There were a ton of celebs in Flushing to see the GOAT go up against Danka Kovinic at Arthur Ashe Stadium ... from Hugh Jackman to Offset to Mike Tyson.

But the sighting that gave most fans -- and even the commentators -- a chuckle was Billy C's interaction with Dr. Ruth ... and whatever was said, it made the former POTUS' face red.

As for the match ... Serena won easily, 6-3 6-3 ... extending her incredible career by at least one more round. As we previously reported, Williams is expected to retire after the tournament.

One of the most precious moments of the whole night was when Serena and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian's daughter, Olympia, was spotted wearing a matching outfit in the stands ... and using her own camera to capture the experience, just like King Richard used to do.

Speaking of Ohanian, TMZ Sports caught up with the proud hubby out in NYC on Monday ... and briefly talked to us about Serena's future off the court.

A father in Ohio shot and killed his daughter's ex-boyfriend during an alleged break-in at the family home ... and it's all on video.

The fatal shooting was captured on a Ring doorbell camera, and it shows the moment 22-year-old James Rayl is gunned down after forcing open the front door.

Three shots ring out and Rayl stumbles down the porch steps before collapsing in the driveway ... and police say Rayl was dead by the time officers arrived.

In the video, you hear people inside the home telling Rayl to get off the porch and leave ... and there's also a verbal warning about someone having a gun.

The girl's father, Mitch Duckro, told cops he fired the shots ... and police say an autopsy found Rayl suffered gunshot wounds to both shoulders and his back.

Han Solo believed there's nothin' quite like a good blaster at your side, and 'Star Wars' fans seem to agree -- that's why Harrison Ford's actual prop from the original film fetched just over a mil at auction!!!

The Rock Island Auction Company held an event for collector firearms over the weekend ... they've sold great finds before like John Wayne's weapon from "True Grit" and Alexander Hamilton's pistols, but come on -- there's nothing quite like this.

The DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol snagged $1,057,500 at auction -- but that chunk of change is nothing to a die-hard fan of the galaxy far, far away.

FYI ... it was estimated to go for $300K-500K -- almost as big of a jump as one to hyperspace.

The blaster's the same one used on-screen by the reckless smuggler himself in "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" ... and is the last surviving example of the three models that were made for the movie.

The piece was originally a Mauser that George Lucas' team converted to a non-firing weapon for blanks only ... sorry, no womp rat shooting with this thing.

Demetrious Johnson's office ain't a UFC Octagon anymore, but "Mighty Mouse" is still the greatest MMA fighter walking the planet according to fellow fighter John Dodson, who fought DJ twice.

And, that's coming from Jon Jones' former teammate!

TMZ Sports talked to 37-year-old Dodson -- fresh off running through his first BKFC opponent (more on that later) -- when the convo turned to Johnson's greatness following his ONE Championship title win over the weekend ... where DJ avenged his 2021 loss to Adriano Moraes, winning back his flyweight title.

"To be honest with you, I put him above Jon Jones and I know Jon Jones is my teammate and training partner... I'm not saying it because he beat me, but Demetrius Johnson is the most well-rounded mixed martial artist that the world has seen."

Dodson continued ... "He's the only one I've known that's combined it so well between his wrestling, striking and also in his jiu-jitsu. He's been so creative with how he gets submission, how he wants to go and finish people and he's just a very intelligent fighter."

Dodson would know ... he's spent 50 minutes inside a locked cage with Johnson, whom he fought two times, losing both by decision. The first was at UFC on FOX 6 in January 2013. The second was at UFC 191 in September 2015.

Of course, many people believe Jones -- who only has one career loss (a BS DQ vs. Matt Hamill in 2009) -- is the greatest ever.

Jon, among so many career achievements, was the youngest UFC champ ever at the age of 23.

We also talked to John about his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship -- where he destroyed Ryan Benoit by 1st round knockout -- a bout that Dodson says rejuvenated his career.

"It feels amazing, man. To tell you the truth, it's more surreal than anything else. I feel a new breath of life coming into this," John says.

"I want to let everybody know I'm still the king of the flyweight division."

Could there be a third fight between Dodson and Johnson ... in a bare-knuckle ring? Dodson is down.

Before this brown-eyed cutie was bringing home the "Dancing With The Stars" Mirrorball trophy, she was just curled up on her famous parents' laps and growing up in Paducah, Kentucky and Los Angeles, California.

This cute kid has appeared in two films with her mother and three films with her father. During Fox's season one of "The Masked Singer," she was disguised as the Lion and opened with the song "Feeling Good."

Need one more clue on who this singer and actress is? Helping her lock in her win on season 20 of 'DWTS' was partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy.

Neena Pacholke -- a former point guard for the USF women's basketball team -- was found dead this weekend after reportedly making suicidal statements ... police tell TMZ Sports.

She was just 27 years old.

A spokesperson for the Wausau Police Department tells us officers were dispatched to a home in Wausau on Saturday morning for a welfare check. When they arrived, they said they received no answer at the door.

Eventually, officers made their way into the residence and found Pacholke deceased. "Foul play is not suspected," the spokesperson said.

Pacholke's sister told the Tampa Bay Times the former basketball player died by suicide.

Pacholke starred on the court at Freedom H.S. in Tampa -- before eventually making her way to USF, where she lettered from 2013 to 2016.

She later worked as a morning anchor for News 9 in Wisconsin.

"The entire team here at News 9 are absolutely devastated by the loss as we know so many others are as well," reps for the station said in a statement Sunday. "Neena loved this community and the people who lived here. She was a kind person with a big heart and a contagious smile and we will miss her greatly."

Pacholke's sister added in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, "She just radiated love and positivity, and she just cared so much about pouring into other people, and always put other people first. I think she did that at the expense of not caring about herself."

Serena Williams will be hitting the court in style on Monday -- 'cause the tennis legend had a custom outfit and diamond-encrusted shoes made for her last U.S. Open.

Serena -- who announced she was "evolving away" from tennis after the Grand Slam event -- designed a figure skater-style 'fit for her last on-court hoorah.

When Williams hits the court in Queens, she will wear a six-layer skirt ... paying homage to the number of U.S. Open championships she's won.

Serena, 40, will also be sporting a matching jacket and tote to accompany the dress and shoes .. compliments of the Swoosh.

The best part is the footwear Williams -- who's won 23 Grand Slam titles in her career -- will wear ... custom PE NikeCourt Flare 2 shoes featuring solid gold deubrés with 400 hand-set diamonds.

The stones are set in Black ceramic created in collaboration with the tennis icon's jewelry line, according to Nike's press release.

Nike said Serena provided the vision and details for her custom outfit and shoes ... and both designs will allow the tennis star to look good and feel comfortable while competing.

Williams is no stranger to fashion -- in February, she paid tribute to her late friend Virgil Abloh, who passed away unexpectedly, by modeling in the Off-White show at Paris Fashion Week.

Tyrese doesn't want to fork over spousal support, or the keys to a Range Rover, to his estranged wife ... though he IS willing to let Samantha Lee Gibson have one of their other SUVs.

The actor/singer is in court Monday for a hearing in his divorce case to lay out what he wants from the split.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tyrese is looking to avoid sending Samantha monthly spousal support ... and he wants to hang on to a 2016 Range Rover, while offering to let her walk away with a less luxurious 2017 Land Rover Discovery.

What's more, Tyrese wants their prenup enforced ... and he's requesting joint physical and legal custody of their daughter, Soraya Gibson. He also wants final say on non-medical emergencies for their kid.

It's been a nasty divorce so far ... when Samantha filed in September 2020, she claimed Tyrese had locked her out of the house, an accusation he denied. As we reported, Samantha was gunning for $20k in monthly child support, which Tyrese claimed was "unreasonably high."

So, it will be interesting to see how Samantha reacts to Tyrese asking for her to get the down-market Rover, and no spousal support.

Kim Kardashian's signature shapewear company, SKIMS, says a woman who filed a lawsuit claiming SKIMS body tape ripped her skin off has it all wrong ... and the tape she actually used was an Amazon purchase that's not associated with Kim or SKIMS at all.

The woman, Noelle Mahasin Smith, filed a  lawsuit against SKIMS Monday -- claiming the company's body tape was ripping her skin off. The lawsuit was thin on specifics, but Smith says the body tape is directly responsible for the physical and mental pain she claims she endured by using it.

A rep for SKIMS tells us Smith didn't even purchase the tape from them, saying, "We take feedback from our customers very seriously. Upon further review of this specific complaint, we have discovered that the customer purchased what appears to be fake tape from Amazon, who is not an authorized or official retailer of SKIMS products."

Kim's SKIMS brand has become super popular in the market, the company rep continues, "Unfortunately counterfeit items have become commonplace for the brand and we strongly advise our customers to only purchase from SKIMS or any of our official retail partners which can be found on our website to ensure that they receive authentic products that meet our quality standards."

In comparing the products, you can see Kim's tape has the SKIMS marking ... much different than the one allegedly purchased on Amazon.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are back home in Los Angeles after a whirlwind week where they celebrated their second wedding in Georgia and jetted over to Italy for a honeymoon.

The newlyweds touched down Monday at LAX in a private jet then hopped into a waiting SUV to be whisked back to reality.

It's been a super long week for both Ben and Jen, the actor was spotted lighting up a cigarette shortly after the plane landed.

Remember ... Ben and Jen spent the week traveling across Italy after celebrating their marriage down at his Georgia estate. On their Italian honeymoon, Bennifer dined at Lake Como and made out in Milan.

Of course, it was the second honeymoon for Ben and Jen ... after initially getting hitched in Las Vegas, they jetted off to Paris.

Nikki Bella is officially a married woman -- 'cause after 3 years of dating the ex-WWE star tied the knot with her "Dancing with the Stars" dancer fiancé, Artem Chigvintsev, in an intimate ceremony in Paris!!

The former wrestler and Broadway star got married in front of a small group of friends and family ... according to E! News.

Nikki posted a photo of her and Artem's hands with their wedding rings ... saying, "We said I DO, can't wait to share the entire journey with you all when our four-part special event."

The former "Total Bellas" star also shared a pic of the newlyweds in each other's arms as they took in the Paris skyline.

Nikki and Artem -- who met when they were partners on season 25 of 'DWTS' -- have one child, a little boy named Matteo, who was born in July 2020.

Nikki and Artem were engaged for a while due to the pandemic and coronavirus restrictions, but always knew they wanted to say "I Do" ... and now they did!!

You'll recall ... at one point during their relationship, "Good Morning America" accidentally called Nikki Artem's wife before the two ever jumped the broom.

Nikki and Artem were not married then, but now, after years of waiting, the romantic duo can proudly say they are husband and wife.

Sorry to kill all the fun, but Cleveland Browns player Martin Emerson, Jr. was NOT walking around with a bunch of weed during Saturday's preseason game ... as it turns out, it was a bag of sunflower seeds.

Shocker, right?!

Of course, some folks and/or trolls on Twitter tried to take a grainy picture of the Browns vs. Chicago Bears broadcast ... and play it off like Emerson was holding a bag of weed on the bench.

The pic quickly made rounds on social media ... with users cracking their "typical Browns" jokes for retweets and favorites, and playing it off like the players were getting ready to toke.

But, one intrepid account decided to find a much clearer image of the alleged weed ... and yeah, it's definitely a bag of seeds.

If you don't believe your eyes, our sources confirm it's not marijuana and there were several players clearly chewing in the same clip that made its rounds online.

FWIW, the NFL has softened its stance on weed recently ... but sunflower seeds, however, are not banned.