Fights & Feuds

A soccer fan claims he was beaten within an inch of his life at a Chivas vs. America soccer game in Lodi, CA -- losing his eye and suffering brain damage in a brutal attack captured on video.

The fan is Hilario Cruz -- a huge fan of Club America, a pro team based in Mexico City.

Cruz says he brought his family to Lodi to watch past greats from Club America take on past greats from rival Chivas at the Grape Bowl back in June 2018.

The history between the two teams is well documented ... think Yankees vs. Red Sox on steroids.

Cruz -- dressed in his yellow Club America jersey -- claims his family was trying to safely enter the stadium but got rerouted by a security guard who inadvertently directed them into a group of Chivas fans.

In his suit, Cruz claims the fans were armed with metal pipes -- and began beating him mercilessly just because he supported Club America.

Cruz claims he suffered serious injuries in the attack including the complete loss of his left eye, brain damage, multiple skull fractures and permanent disfigurement.

We spoke with Cruz's attorney, Bill Daniels, who sent us video of the attack -- in which you can hear concerned bystanders shouting at the attackers to stop.

The violence expanded -- with Lodi police saying a full-scale brawl broke out with more than 100 people involved.

Now, Cruz is suing the promoters of the game and the City of Lodi for unspecified damages -- claiming organizers failed to provide adequate security ... especially since they promoted the game as a family-friendly event.

Conor McGregor is off the hook in his Miami phone smashing case -- prosecutors have dropped the charges against the UFC star after the victim stopped cooperating with authorities.

"The victim of the crime does not wish to return to the United States and prosecute this case," prosecutor Khalil Madani said during a hearing on Monday.

As we previously reported, McGregor was captured on video getting into an altercation outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami on March with Ahmed Abdirzak -- who was visiting from the United Kingdom.

In the footage, you can see McGregor snatch the guy's phone, stomp on it ... and leave the hotel with it.

He was arrested hours later and ultimately charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief.

But now, prosecutors say Abdirzak has left the country and doesn't want to come back to aid in Conor's prosecution ... which everyone saw coming from a mile away.

Here's why ... Abdirzak had filed a civil lawsuit against Conor -- which McGregor ultimately settled out of court.

Translation -- Abdirzak probably got a huge payday and wasn't exactly motivated to help put Conor behind bars.

This now clears the way for Conor to negotiate his next UFC fight without having to worry about being unavailable because of incarceration.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not abandoning hope for a super fight against UFC legend Georges St-Pierre ... his manager tells TMZ Sports he's actively working on getting the two in the Octagon.

Ali Abdelaziz not only reps Khabib -- but he's also close with GSP and helped get Georges back into fighting after a 4-year layoff to take on Michael Bisping in 2017.

Georges won that fight -- but hung up his gloves in early 2019 saying, "You should retire on top."

Now, Ali says the fighters have expressed to him that a Khabib vs. GSP matchup would be a "dream fight" on both ends ... but the trick is getting everyone to agree on money and a weight class.

"It's about weight," Ali says ... "The problem is about weight. What weight class do we fight at?"

If the two sides can strike a deal, the fight wouldn't happen any time in the immediate future -- Ali says Khabib has two fights to get through before he could get to GSP ... including a title fight with Dustin Poirier later this year.

Of course, Conor McGregor is also still in the picture -- he's demanding a rematch after Khabib dominated him at UFC 229 back in October.

Ali says Khabib feels Conor needs to prove he's worthy of a rematch -- considering he's lost 2 of his last 4 fights in the UFC.

You can't punch spectators, Neymar ...

The 27-year-old soccer superstar has been banned for 3 games after socking a fan in the face minutes after his team lost in the French Cup final last month, the French Football Federation announced.

Neymar's Paris Saint-Germain club had just lost to Stade Rennes in a 6-5 penalty shootout -- and the team was forced to walk through the crowd to collect their 2nd place medals.

During the walk, Neymar claims a fan lurched at him and began shouting various insults -- so Neymar popped the guy in the face.

The fan claims he suffered a bloody nose and a split lip from the punch. Neymar later commented, "I was wrong but I don't have cockroach blood."

The saying essentially means he won't back down from people when they cross a line.

Now, the FFF says Neymar won't play in the next 3 games for PSG -- a suspension the team has described as "severe."

50 Cent is dropping a bombshell, revealing he's shutting down "Power" after its upcoming season, but on-set drama is not to blame -- he just wants to ride off into the sunset on a high note.

Sources close to production on the hit series tell TMZ ... 50 wants the show to go out on top, because he's seen too many other series run themselves into the ground. "Power" is still hugely successful as it enters its 6th season on Starz.

While there's speculation that drama between Fiddy and Randall Emmett is behind the decision to pull the plug ... we're told that's simply not the case, and there's no lingering beef between the fellow executive producers.

You'll recall ... Fiddy's character, Kanan Stark, died last season, and we're told that's no coincidence ... because 50 wanted more time to get started working on other projects, including "Power" spin-offs, which are already being developed.

As we first told you ... 50 inked an 8-figure deal with Starz back in 2017 to bring 3 more projects to life, and the contract runs through this September.

You think New England Patriots star Julian Edelman is gonna just sit there and be quiet when some jerk NY Jets fan is running his mouth talking smack?!?!

NOPE!

Jules calmly fired back at the Jets heckler Monday night with a truth bomb -- and shut the guy down right in front of Odell Beckham and Saquon Barkley!!

So, here's the deal ... the NFL stars were all leaving a post-Met Gala party at the Standard Line Hotel in New York ... when some guy started trashing the NY Giants when he saw Saquon and Odell.

The heckler told the group, "Saquon, sorry buddy, [I'm a] Jets fan!"

That's when Edelman walked right up to the guy and explained, "I'm a Jets fan too. Every time we play 'em, we win."

Boom.

It's true, ever since Edelman joined the Pats back in 2009, his team has a 16-5 record against the Jets ... complete domination.

Anyway, Edelman and his NFL pals continued to have a great night -- while the Jets fan was forced to sit and think about how they're probably gonna suck again in 2019.

Britney Spears is in bad shape -- her meds aren't working right and she's not nearly fully recovered from her relapse that landed her in a mental health facility -- and now to make matters worse, we're told she's "playing" her mom to give her more freedom to make decisions.

As we reported, Britney's mom, Lynne Spears, is going to court Friday ... asking the judge who presides over her conservatorship to force Brit's conservator, Jamie Spears, to download her on the medical decisions he's making.

Lynne has never been part of the conservatorship. She used to be extremely close to Britney, but when Britney and Justin Timberlake broke up back in 2002, the singer cut her mom out of her life. Their relationship has been spotty ever since ... we're told Lynne hadn't seen Britney for around a year.

We're told Lynne is upset over reports that Jamie had Britney committed to the mental facility and forced drugs on her -- both not true. Jamie's conservatorship doesn't give him that power. But, Lynne has heard the "Free Britney" chant and has now made her move.

Our sources say Jamie is alarmed Britney is using Lynne to get more freedom, during a period where her judgment is extremely bad. She's not allowed to drive with her phone -- security stopped her after she was caught texting and driving a week ago. Security takes her phone when she takes the wheel. By the way ... Britney doesn't have a smartphone -- only a flip phone -- because of what she might do if she has access to the internet.

Britney wants more freedom, and we're told she is using Lynne to get her way. There has been a long-standing conflict between Lynne and Jamie. We're told Lynne is deferential to Britney, while Jamie is walking a tightrope ... trying to give Britney freedom, but understanding too much freedom can trigger the type of episode that almost killed Britney in 2008.

Our sources say Jamie has confided in friends if Britney goes off the rails she could lose custody of her kids ... and quickly.

The showdown is set for Friday in court when Lynne will ask a judge for access to medical info. She's staying with Britney and we're told it's possible Britney will show up for the hearing.

Anthony Joshua is turning up the heat on Deontay Wilder -- telling TMZ Sports he wants a crack at the Bronze Bomber ASAP ... and inviting the boxing superstar to "come see me."

Joshua and Wilder have been trading verbal jabs for years but have never been able to come to terms on a fight contract. A Joshua vs. Wilder matchup could be one of the biggest fights in PPV history.

Anthony invited us onto his tricked out sprinter van in NYC moments ago ... and walked us through his fight plans -- including some tough talk for Deontay.

Long story short ... Joshua says he wants to unify the heavyweight titles -- and since Wilder is the reigning WBC heavyweight champ, he wants to fight Deontay as soon as possible to get that belt.

"If he's ready and wants to prove he's the best in the world, [Wilder] can come see me," Joshua says.

Wilder is slated to fight Dominic Breazeale on May 18 -- and if he gets through D.B., he's got options ... including a rematch with Tyson Fury.

As for Joshua, he'll be fighting 29-year-old Andy Ruiz on June 1 -- after his original opponent, Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller, tested positive for a bunch of banned substances.

But, Joshua says he ain't holding a grudge -- he hopes Miller can turn his life around and get right.

In the meantime, Joshua says he ain't taking Ruiz lightly -- despite the fact most people don't know who he is.

5:17 PM PT -- Honchos from the investment company, Dentsu Aegis, tell TMZ ... "As financial partner, we had the customary rights one would expect to protect a large investment. After we exercised our contractual right to take over, and subsequently, cancel the festival, we simply recovered the funds in the festival bank account, funds we originally put in as a financial partner.

"Further, tickets cannot go on sale for an event prior to obtaining a mass gathering permit, which has still not been granted. And we stand by original statement made last week."

Woodstock 50's primary investor is pulling out all the stops to torpedo the 50th anniversary of the landmark rock festival ... so says the man behind the Woodstock brand.

Michael Lang -- who spearheaded Woodstock back in 1969, and is producing Woodstock 50 -- is calling out the investment company, Dentsu, for allegedly trying to sabotage the revival scheduled for later this summer.

According to a letter Lang fired off to Dentsu's Prez and CEO -- obtained by TMZ -- he had concerns from the get-go about such a large corporation being linked to Woodstock ... and it quickly became a thorn in his side.

Lang claims for some unknown reason, Dentsu blocked ticket sales in late April even though the festival had obtained all the necessary permits. He says it also began interfering with the talent lineup ... going so far as to tell bands if they backed out Dentsu would help them land a gig playing the Summer Olympics in 2020 instead.

Lang claims his worst fears were confirmed when Dentsu then surprisingly decided to pull the plug on Woodstock 50 and notified the media it was canceling ... without any legal right to do so.

Even worse -- Lang claims Dentsu "illegally swept approximately $17 million from the festival bank account leaving the festival in peril." Translation ... Lang is suggesting Dentsu pocketed the money.

On the bright side -- Lang says these recent obstacles have led to a "groundswell of support for Woodstock in every conceivable manner, making the prospects of having a successful event a virtual certainty."

Conor McGregor spent his Monday training his ass off in his MMA gym in Ireland -- and sources connected to the UFC star tell us he's "ready to fight right now."

Conor had a sparring session with Hans Molenkamp -- who created the MMA equipment company, Triumph, and runs the Monster Energy combat program. He's also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu who trains with some of the best fighters in the world.

Hans and Conor have been tight for years -- so, when Hans touched down in Ireland, Conor invited him to Straight Blast Gym for a workout.

Our sources at the gym tell us ... Conor looked sharp in sparring sessions -- even cracking Hans in the face with that legendary left (you can see it in the video).

We're told Conor is training like he's getting ready for a fight -- and he's been talking about how badly he wants the rematch with Khabib.

One source extremely close to McGregor put it this way -- "He's ready to fight now. He's in training. Everything needs to line up correctly ... opponent, place and of course, money."

Conor was called out this weekend by UFC legend Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone -- McGregor has yet to respond.

FS1 star Colin Cowherd desperately wants Baker Mayfield to know he doesn't hate him ... telling TMZ Sports, "Baker thinks I don't like him. I love Baker."

Of course, the two have had a rocky relationship over the past few years -- and the beef flared up again on Friday when Baker attacked Colin on Twitter.

Colin posted a video clip from 'The Herd' explaining why he thinks Baker and Browns GM John Dorsey are the perfect couple for Cleveland ... and that's when Mayfield responded, "you’re a donkey man."

Cowherd fired back saying, "I wish you would LISTEN before ruining my weekend" ... which prompted Baker to write, "Why would I listen to you instead of just reading the quote?"

"That’s exactly what you do when you go on air... skip all the details and important stuff, then go for the irrational opinion for clicks."

But, when we got Cowherd out at LAX just hours after the spat ... he told us he has NO beef with Baker -- and says he just wants to be friends!!!

"Send my best to Baker," Colin says ... "Baker thinks I don't like him, I love Baker."

As for Mayfield's side of the feud ... doesn't seem like the feeling's mutual -- 'cause he's gone after Colin SEVERAL times in the last couple years.

Oscar De La Hoya says there's a new (kinda) young fighter he wants to add to his Golden Boy Promotions stable ... Kevin Hart ... and make no mistake about it, Oscar is being 100% real.

Kevin recently took up boxing, and actually stepped into the ring for a LIVE SPARRING session against pro poker player Antonio Esfandiari and held his own in a close loss.

We talked to Oscar who's promoting the HUGE Canelo Alvarez vs. Danny Jacobs fight going down on DAZN this weekend who says Kevin needs to stop giving his fists away for free.

"If he wants a promoter, Kevin, give me a call. I can put you on the big stage here in Vegas live on DAZN."

If you think Oscar's just playing, you're wrong. His eyes LIT UP at the thought of working with Hart, and he gave us a blueprint to how KH's boxing career would look if he hooked up with Golden Boy.

"I can get him a few fights, 4 rounders, 6 rounders, build him up to the championship level."

Kevin has said he wants a rematch against Esfandiari before he does anything else, and you guessed it, Oscar's down to promote that too.

"I have the perfect location. We can do it at the Staples Center, headlined by Kevin Hart, live on DAZN, make a lot of money. I could make up a championship belt that would fit around his waist. Come on, Kevin, let's do it."

A routine jewelry shopping spree turned into high drama for Floyd Mayweather on Thursday -- when things got heated with a store owner over a VERY expensive stone and cops were called, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told Floyd was shopping at the Diamond Club fine jewelry shop inside the Seybold Building when Mayweather zeroed in a stone.

Our sources tell us ... a verbal altercation broke out between Mayweather and the shop owner -- and things got so intense, someone inside the shop called police.

By the time cops arrived, we're told Mayweather had already left the shop.

We reached out to Mayweather and the shop owner -- but everyone is being VERY tight-lipped about the situation.

We also contacted Miami PD -- and a rep would only confirm that cops responded to the shop regarding an issue involving a "high profile celebrity" ... but wouldn't get into specifics.

Unclear if cops are investigating or if the matter is considered closed.

Remember, Mayweather spends MILLIONS of dollars at jewelry stores all over the world -- so you'd think Floyd showing up at your shop would be like hitting the lottery.

But, that's clearly not what happened here.

Sylvester Stallone says Conor McGregor "absolutely" deserves an ownership stake in the UFC -- and he's willing to work with the Irishman to make it happen.

Now, how serious is Stallone? Hard to tell ... but we do know Sly really does care about the guy and thinks he's a special fighter.

We also know Conor is dead serious about his demands for shares in the UFC -- despite Dana White repeatedly saying it ain't gonna happen.

Back in 2016, Mark Wahlberg made a very REAL offer to Conor -- saying he'd sell him some of his ownership ... but Conor needed to "cut the check."

Just this week, Conan O'Brien joked that Conor would need to fight him for his piece of the UFC.

But, Conor ain't kidding around -- making his demands clear back in March.

"Give me my rightful shares in the UFC company," Conor said ... "That’s all I ask."

9:40 AM PT -- CoCo's in trouble ... 'cause Conor's taken notice, saying he's totally down for a fight ... and even threw Mark Wahlberg into the mix as well!!!

"Challenge accepted Conan!" Conor tweeted. "I'll whoop you and Walhberg (sic) in the same night."

"Double shares for the Double Champ!"

If Conor McGregor REALLY wants a piece of the UFC, he's gonna have to get through Conan O'Brien first!!

CoCo was leaving UCLA on Wednesday after participating in a college signing day event with Michelle Obama when we brought up the fact he happens to be a minority owner of the UFC.

And, with Conor making so much noise about wanting an ownership stake in the company, we asked Conan if he would follow Mark Wahlberg's lead and offer to sell Conor a piece of his share.

"I will fight him for his [share]," Conan joked ... "If he can take me in the Octagon!"

O'Brien continued to tease ... saying he'd have to look at the paperwork before making any serious deal with Conor.

Look, he's obviously joking the whole way through -- but Conor wasn't kidding when he demanded ownership.

In fact, Conor still isn't signed on to take another fight in the Octagon after retiring via social media earlier this year.

4:30 PM PT -- Remy has officially bailed out ... but she didn't have much to say to our camera.

3:41 PM PT -- Remy just saw the judge -- and her bail was set at $1,500 -- she's expected to post that shortly. Remy's attorney, Dawn Florio, claimed all of the accusations made by Taylor are a lie. For instance, Taylor allegedly claimed the attack happened at 9:30 PM and Florio says there's video proof Remy Ma was at home at that time.

Florio also argued it was suspicious Taylor lawyered up with a civil attorney immediately after the attack.

The judge also ordered a protective order, meaning Remy is not to have any contact with Taylor ... Remy will also have an 8 PM curfew.

It took a couple weeks, but Remy Ma is in police custody for allegedly punching Brittney Taylor at a concert last month.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the rapper surrendered to cops Wednesday, flanked by her attorney. We're told she's been booked for misdemeanor assault.

As we reported ... the "Love & Hip Hop New York" star claimed Remy punched her in the right eye while backstage during the Pretty Lou Benefit Concert at Irving Plaza near Union Square on April 16.

While police were investigating the incident, Taylor geared up to file a civil suit against Remy by requesting cops preserve all evidence of the alleged assault, including surveillance footage.

Taylor's attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, tells TMZ that this is real life, not reality TV, and that Brittney is a victim. He stresses that Brittney "has confidence in our system of justice and will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities."