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Nelson Thomas was not up to the challenge of a pissed-off husband -- cops say the MTV star got knocked out cold after chatting up a married woman in Las Vegas!!!

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, Nelson -- who's starred on "The Challenge" for years -- says he met a woman at ARIA Resort & Casino and started talking to her at the valet area, and then ... WHAM!!! Next thing he knew, Nelson was being awakend by someone telling him he'd just been punched in the face and had his chain stolen.

Cops say they saw video backing up that account ... showing Nelson talking to the woman before the knockout punch put him on the ground -- and the assailant socked him one more time.

Nelson says he was "sucker-punched" and left with a broken nose so swollen he couldn't get treated by a doctor until the swelling went down.

On social media, Nelson claimed he was attacked because someone was trying to steal his $10,000 chain, but the woman's husband, Kevin Dixon, tells a different story.

According to the police report, Dixon copped to the punch ... and said Nelson was talking to his wife in an elevator -- but when he walked off, his wife stayed on and kept talking with Nelson.

He says he lost sight of her and was trying to text and call her, then found her at valet talking to Nelson. Cops say he admitted being jealous, mad and drunk -- a bad combo any night in Vegas.

Dixon was arrested for battery and grand larceny.

Nelson's on the mend, and it looks like his nose is fixed after finally getting treatment.

Staples Center is no more ... the iconic building that the Lakers and Clippers have called home since 1999 is getting a new name -- Crypto.com Arena.

Officials announced the stunning name change Tuesday night ... explaining the rebrand will take effect on Christmas Day next month.

The new name will stick for the next 20 years as part of the new agreement, officials say ... and the new deal will all reportedly cost the cryptocurrency app around $700 MILLION.

Of course, the announcement was hardly met with joy from L.A. fans -- as the building has only been known as Staples Center for YEARS to Kings, Sparks, Lakers and Clippers fans.

Still, officials were pumped over the move nonetheless ... sending out a mock of how the new signage will look on the top of the building in 2022.

In the announcement of the new deal, officials also promised "large-scale, premium branding and signage throughout the interior and exterior" of the new Crypto.com Arena.

Tamar Braxton is the latest victim of brazen burglars -- but instead of vowing vengeance ... she's actually sending them prayers.

The singer broke the startling news early Wednesday morning, saying ... "A few hours ago, this broken, bum ass man (one that I know) broke into my home and stole my safe only."

In her post, Tamar notes nothing else was taken -- including valuables like a Birkin bag or a computer or gaming systems -- and that the safe seemed to be the only item sought.

She also had a message for the perp ... "I want you to know first hand that I'm not angry. You did not break me. You did not violate me. What your broken ass don't realize that God gave me that home and every single thing in it during a pandemic, & also during the time when I was all of those things. God personally put the pieces of my life back together again."

She adds, "So pumpkin, you did not steal from me. Those things you took, he will give back to me a million times fold!!! You took from God!!!"

Tamar then got seriously Biblical, saying the crook isn't ready for the kind of vengeance God is about to drop on them. She closed with, "Father, have your way -- Amen."

New York City's mayor-elect is ready to hit to the ground running -- and smoking, apparently -- because he came to the 'Late Show' bearing gifts ... including the herbal variety.

Eric Adams is fresh off his election day victory and will replace Bill de Blasio in January, and he stopped by Stephen Colbert's late-night talk show Tuesday with a tote bag full of knickknacks he doled out one by one.

First, he presented a blanket, for SC and his boo to cuddle, then a GSD NYC T-shirt ... but the third gift is what's getting the most attention. Mr. Mayor-elect whipped out some rolling papers and what appeared to be a bag of marijuana -- he said he'd hand it off to Stephen backstage.

BTW, it wasn't real ganja -- Adams' team cleared that up after the fact, saying he didn't bring actual herb on set, even though it is legal in NYC ... and Adams does, in fact, support it.

The bamboo rolling papers were real, though ... so, at least Colbert got that!

Anyway, there was a final gift that won over the crowd -- Adams pulled an Oprah with gifts for the entire audience. No, everybody didn't get a car, but it was something to help promote NYC.

Britney Spears sounds like she has more big plans now that she's a free woman once again ... openly thinking about having another child.

Yep, Brit's doubled down on her baby dreams Tuesday ... posting a picture of a small child standing on their tiptoes and saying ... "I'm thinking about having another baby!!!"

It sounds like Britney might want to have a girl ... at least that's the way her IG caption makes it seem. She wonders if the child in the pic she posted is a girl.

As you know ... Britney has 2 children with her ex-husband Kevin Federline, and they're both teenage boys.

Back in June, during her impassioned testimony, Brit said she wanted to be free to get married to fiance Sam Asghari, and have a baby. She complained the conservatorship was blocking her from doing so, but legally, that just wasn't the case.

In any event, she's definitely got baby on the brain now that the conservatorship is over after 13 years ... and she and Sam are planning their wedding.

She's got at least one family member on board with the idea of more kids ... her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, "liked" Britney's IG post.

Of course, Brit hasn't liked much coming out of her little sister's mouth lately.

Britney Spears already has one option for a collab partner if she dives back into music again, and that's Sean Garrett ... who tells us he's down, but also kinda hesitant.

We talked to the veteran music producer who's worked with Brit before -- not to mention a ton of other artists with whom he's made hits dating back to the 2000s -- and he's ready for round 2.

Sean and Britney have worked together in the past -- most notably, on her song "Toy Soldier," which he produced ... as well as him being featured on her track, "Kiss You All Over."

With that history, Sean's willing to get in a studio with her -- but watch the clip, because he's definitely cautious to fully commit ... for one good reason.

Fact is, SG is well-aware Britney is just tasting freedom again for the first time in a long time after the judge ended her conservatorship, and that seems to be at the forefront of his mind.

Sean says if she's stable and feeling up to recording again ... he wouldn't mind linking up for fresh tunes -- but he almost seems more interested in whether she's mentally ready.

TMZ broke the story ... Britney's made it clear, she wants to record again, but still hasn't picked a producer or songwriters to work with yet.

Frank Gore says he is a surefire Hall of Famer ... telling TMZ Sports if you think otherwise, you straight up don't know football.

"You go ahead and ask any coach, any old player, any -- tell them to call Bill Parcells," Gore says. "Anybody. Call anybody, and they'll tell you what type of ballplayer I was."

Gore's numbers say he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer -- he is, after all, third on the all-time rushing yards list with 16,000 -- but, still, some pundits say he doesn't belong in Canton.

The argument ... Gore was never named to an All-Pro team and was only selected to the Pro Bowl in five of his 16 years in the league.

Gore, though, made it clear he believes the people pointing to that have no idea what they're talking about.

"They don't know football," the 38-year-old said. "That's what I say. They don't know football."

"My numbers speak for themselves," Gore added. "Whatever they say, it's all good."

In addition to his 16,000 yards, Gore also recorded 81 rushing TDs and logged 3,985 receiving yards. And, Gore says there's still a chance he could add to those totals despite his upcoming fight with Deron Williams.

The ex-49ers star says if a Super Bowl-contending team called, he'd listen.

Before this happy girl was one of the funniest females on television, she was just another kid flashing a smile for the camera in East Cleveland, Ohio.

This cute kid has gained tons of acting experience with her features on popular comedy series ... but it wasn't until she scored a reoccurring role in a college-set satire that she became a familiar face to audiences all over.

Ever since the successful sitcom ended in 2015, she has made her rounds with iconic characters ... such as an Emmy-nominated guest spot on "A Black Lady Sketch Show."

Kanye West and Drake have officially buried the hatchet ... because they're hanging out together in Drake's hometown.

Ye just posted a pic on social media showing him standing next to Drizzy ... with Rap-A-Lot Records honcho J Prince, making it a group photo.

There were rumors Tuesday that Drake and Kanye squashed their beef Monday night in Toronto ... and Yeezy is eliminating all doubt with his post.

Not long after Kanye posted, Drake shared a video of him and Ye together ... tagging their location in Toronto. It appears they were buddy-buddy while listening to Dave Chappelle rock the mic.

In the video, Drake's got his arm around Kanye ... and it sounds like the peace talk went down at Drake's crib, based on Dave's comments.

As we reported ... there's been a full-court press from Ye and Prince to end the beef with Champagne Papi, with Kanye recently inviting Drake to perform with him at an upcoming benefit concert for famous Chicago gangster Larry Hoover.

It's unclear if Drake is going to take Kanye and Prince up on the offer ... the concert is scheduled for December in Los Angeles ... but the fact they're spending time together is huge.

Travis Scott, Drake, Apple, Live Nation and others will now need to answer to a massive $750 million lawsuit brought against them by more than 125 fans, including the family of one who died at the festival.

The suit, filed by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, is the first of others to come and places the blame on Travis and concert organizers for negligence in failing to properly plan the concert, train security personnel and host a safe event.

Among the plaintiffs is the family of Axel Acosta, a 21-year-old who was allegedly crushed by an "incited, unruly and out-of-control crowd with such force that he could no longer breathe."

As for the staggering $750 million, the lawsuit claims it's to cover both physical and mental health injuries as well as the loss of life.

Buzbee says, "No amount of money will ever make these Plaintiffs whole; no amount of money can restore human life. But, the damages sought in this case attempts to fix, help, or make up for the harms and losses suffered by these Plaintiffs -- nothing more and nothing less."

Travis and Live Nation offered refunds almost immediately to concertgoers, and the lawsuit addresses that offer, calling it, "... a transparent and grotesque effort of the Defendants to limit their liability, after the fact, to the families of those killed or injured."

As we reported ... 10 people have now lost their lives as a result of the Astroworld Festival -- the most recent was a 9-year-old boy.

Law enforcement continues to investigate what caused the deaths, but those in the audience say a crowd crush trapped, trampled and suffocated fans.

Rockmond Dunbar is OUT as an original cast member on "9-1-1" ... and it's all because of the TV show's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Rockmond, who plays Michael Grant on the FOX drama, saw his character suddenly written off in this week's episode.

Produced by Disney TV Studios 20th Television, the show reportedly requires all actors to be inoculated against the coronavirus ... and Rockmond was denied vaccine exemptions.

Rockmond explained his departure in a statement to Deadline, saying ... "I applied for religious and medical accommodations pursuant to the law and unfortunately was denied by my employer."

He adds ... "My sincerely held beliefs and private medical history are very intimate and personal aspects of my life that I do not publicly discuss and have no desire to start now."

Rockmond also told the outlet while he enjoyed his 5 seasons on "9-1-1" his acting gig comes second to his role as a husband and father to his 4 kids, and he's looking forward to what's next for him and wishing everyone on the show the best.

Quentin Tarantino seems to be pushing forward with plans to auction off "Pulp Fiction" NFTs, but the movie studio behind the film says they aren't his to sell ... according to a new lawsuit.

The famous movie director is being sued by Miramax, which claims his plans to sell a set of digital tokens featuring some iconic movie scenes violate the studio's rights.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Miramax claims it was left in the dark about Quentin's planned NFT auction, but finally caught wind of it and fired off a cease and desist letter to the director ... claiming the film company had the rights to most everything media-related involving the movie, including the NFTs he's looking to sell.

In the docs, Miramax claims Quentin pressed ahead anyway and is now promoting the hell out of the upcoming auction on social media. So, the studio says it had no choice but to drag him to court.

Miramax is going after Tarantino for money, and the studio wants the judge to pump the brakes on his NFT auction.

Carole Baskin is still fighting to have footage of herself removed from "Tiger King 2," and telling us how the series producers allegedly pulled some shady moves to deceive her.

We spoke to the big cat animal rescue owner herself just a day before Netflix is set to debut its sequel to the smash-hit series ... and Carole gave us the behind-the-scenes intel she says led to her filing a lawsuit to stop her image and likeness from being included in 'TK 2.'

For starters, Carole told us on Tuesday's "TMZ Live," she is NOT trying to stop Netflix from putting out a second installment -- she just wants any tie to her nixed from the final product.

As for why she wants out of the project? Well, Carole says she also hated the OG "Tiger King" ... and she alleges producers pitched it to her like it was going to be a "Blackfish"-styled expose on animal abuse. She even claims they even showed her an early promo cut which was exactly that.

As you now know ... "Tiger King" ended up playing as more of an anti-hero tale, with Joe Exotic as the heroic lead, and Carole as the "bad guy" nemesis.

That's Carole's biggest gripe -- what she calls the flat-out misrepresentation of her and her mission ... something she tells us is still haunting her to this day in the form of harassment and threats from rabid fans.

She also addressed what Jeff and Lauren Lowe told us Monday -- namely, that they're gearing up to sue Carole for allegedly tipping off the feds to violations at his now-shutdown Tiger King Park.

Carole says Jeff's fury is misplaced, and everything that's happened to him in the wake of "Tiger King" is his own doing. She claims her team got plenty of video evidence of animal abuse at Jeff's place, and she's airing it on her new Discovery+ show, "Carole Baskin's Cage Fight."

Somewhere Laura Ingraham is still confused as hell about what happened on her own show Monday night -- an exchange with her guest that she unwittingly turned into a classic comedic moment.

So, Ingraham was chatting with Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo about "woke storylines" in Hollywood productions when he brought up "You" -- the Netflix show, that is -- and an episode that mentioned measles.

But, Laura immediately thought he was talking about her, and it was painfully clear she's not aware "You" is a thing. With a horribly confused look on her face, she said, "When did I mention measles?"

Now, Raymond's confused too, and yells back at Laura, "No! It was on "You!'" -- which only enrages her more. You gotta see it.

Folks of a certain age (and knowledge) will see this as a modern, and accidental, take on Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's classic, "Who's on First?"

Sounds like Ingraham might be binging 3 seasons of "You" this weekend.

Keyshia Cole has lost another family member this year -- her adoptive father just passed away due to COVID-19 ... only months after her mom died.

The singer shared the news Monday, saying Leon Cole -- the only father she's ever known -- lost his battle with the virus. Her tribute to him is touching, as she highlighted his devotion to her throughout her childhood ... even though she wasn't his blood-born daughter.

Keyshia writes, "He made sure (Even tho he wasn’t my biological father) to keep a stable foundation and roof over all of our heads during our upbringing!!!!" KC went on to shout out the fact Leon worked hard to provide for his family -- while imparting valuable lessons on religion, values, relationships (with women, specifically) and duty.

She adds, "Seriously the most loving guy I’ve ever known. And he’s gonna be missed so much! I hate that this has happened !!! And that I’ve now lost two beautiful souls within a few months from each other."

The death of her father comes a few short months after her biological mother, Frankie, died from a drug overdose this past summer. She'd reconciled with her mom in recent years -- much of which was documented on TV.

As Keyshia alludes to here ... her parents gave her up for adoption at a young age, and the Coles took her in and raised her in Oakland, CA ... and got her into music as well.

Adele helped a guy propose to his girlfriend in star-studded fashion -- but if they get their way, she could be back for the actual nuptials themselves ... not to mention Oprah too!

We spoke to the couple who got engaged in front of Adele and a whole lot of other celebs on primetime TV, no less ... asking if they'd like to see another round in the presence of the singer -- and, go figure, they say hell yeah.

Check out the interview ... Quentin Brunson and Ashleigh Mann give us the blow-by-blow of how they even got selected for the special moment -- plus, what it was like IN the moment -- and it's about as magical as it appeared on the CBS telecast.

On the issue of tapping Adele again for their special day ... they tell us they'd absolutely love to have her perform at their upcoming ceremony, and not just that -- but they want O herself to officiate!

Unclear if those ladies will oblige ... but considering the history they all share now, it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility. We'll keep tabs one way or another.