Fights & Feuds

"What a joke he is."

Bubba Wallace was NOT a happy camper after crashing out of a race Wednesday ... the NASCAR star went OFF on fellow driver Michael McDowell after he says the guy purposely wrecked him.

Here's the deal ... Bubba had been gunning for weeks to get a spot in NASCAR's All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee on Wednesday night.

But, since Bubba hadn't won in 2019 or 2020 ... his only options left for a spot were to win one of the stages in Wednesday afternoon's All-Star Open qualifying race or earn the fan vote.

Bubba, though, was not able to do any of the above ... because the 26-year-old crashed his car into a wall just 17 laps into the Open.

Check out footage of the wreck ... it's clear as day, McDowell pushed his car's nose into Bubba's rear end, causing the guy to spin out and hit the wall.

Afterward, Wallace was FURIOUS ... and blasted McDowell for the move.

"Just disrespect," Bubba said. "When you get hooked right rear into the wall, I don’t even need to see a replay. Look at that sh*t. Yeah, wow."

"People say he’s one of the nicest guys in the garage. I can’t wait for the God-fearing text that he is going to send me about preaching and praise and respect. What a joke he is.”

Bubba's railing against McDowell didn't stop there ... cameras appeared to catch Wallace leaving a piece of his wrecked car near McDowell's garage area as well.

NASCAR says Bubba would have to have won one of the stages of the Open to get locked into the All-Star Race ... the league says Clint Bowyer ended up taking the fan vote despite Wallace leading for several days heading into this week.

"I felt like I was just left to die."

That's Cam Newton opening up after a Saturday night workout session -- saying he felt abandoned by the NFL after parting ways with the Carolina Panthers ... and now he's promising an epic comeback.

Cam was dropped by Carolina back in March after basically missing the 2019 season due to injury. His 2018 campaign wasn't great either.

The market wasn't exactly scorching hot for the QB despite his insane potential. The 31-year-old finally signed with the Patriots in late-June in a shocking 1-year deal that only guarantees him $550k for 2020.

Cam seems pissed about the way things went down -- saying he feels "sh*tted on" ... and vows to change the way he's treated in the NFL by seizing his new opportunity with Bill Belichick.

"You know what makes this sh*t different is they ain't never seen this Cam," Newton said.

"They ain't never seen him. You want to know how I know? Sh*t, I ain't never seen him -- the forgotten Cam. The sh*tted on Cam. The tired of being sick and tired Cam. I felt like I was just left to die. It's over with for him. He ain't the same player."

Newton continued his rant by insisting he's more motivated than ever -- and even referenced a conversation he recently had with his son, Chosen.

"[My son] Chosen say, 'Daddy, daddy, daddy? We going to Charlotte?' I say, 'No, son, it's over with. We got another place we going to. We're going north.'"

President Trump has "Black Lives Matter" all up in his face, metaphorically, as another giant yellow street mural is being completed outside Trump Tower on NYC's Fifth Avenue.

The street mural painting process began early Thursday morning, and a crowd has been gathering to watch. Mayor Bill de Blasio -- a longtime Trump nemesis -- is expected to take part in it at some point, so hard to say this isn't political.

It's unclear if there will also be a BLM protest, but it wouldn't be surprising ... as the project has been harshly opposed by the Prez.

As you may recall ... Trump blasted the plan for the mural last week in a series of tweets in which he said it would be "denigrating" to the luxury avenue and antagonize the NYPD.

He also accused Mayor de Blasio of hating and disrespecting police for supporting the BLM painting, which Trump referred to as a "symbol of hate."

The Mayor responded by saying ... "Here's what you don't understand: Black people BUILT 5th Ave and so much of this nation. Your 'luxury' came from THEIR labor, for which they have never been justly compensated. We are honoring them. The fact that you see it as denigrating your street is the definition of racism."

Kamaru Usman says Jorge Masvidal's BMF belt IS on the line when they fight Saturday -- and he already knows where he'll keep it after he wins.

"After I go out there and beat his ass and ragdoll him, that sh*t is coming home with me so I can throw it in my closet."

Of course, Kamaru is the UFC's reigning welterweight champ -- and he was originally set to defend that belt against Gilbert Burns in the first main event on Fight Island.

But, when Gilbert tested positive for COVID and pulled out the fight over the weekend -- Masvidal stepped in and took his place.

Now, Kamaru says he's ready to rock ... and considers his new opponent nothing more than a "minor change."

"At the end of the day, when you’re in training camp, the way that I train, you see no face," Usman tells TMZ Sports.

"When I cross into that Octagon, I have to turn on the Nigerian nightmare and leave Kamaru Usman on the outside. And, so I see no face by the time I'm in there anyway."

"Now it's a little extra push to get in there and really do some damage."

Usman says he's the champ for a reason -- and Masvidal will learn the hard way that he's "definitely not Ben Askren."

Remember, Jorge's stock exploded when he slept Askren with a flying knee in the opening seconds of their fight at UFC 239.

Usman says Masvidal won't pull that crap on him.

"I'm smarter than doing something that silly and being put in that situation. So, I'm definitely not Ben Askren and he's definitely going to have to figure that out the hard way."

There's more ... Usman also told us why he thinks the Masvidal fight came together so quickly (in just a matter of hours).

The NJ woman who's been dubbed "Permit Karen" now has protesters marching because she called cops on her black neighbors claiming she'd been assaulted ... something several other neighbors dispute.

The block war started Monday in Montclair, NJ, where the couple -- who shot this video -- say they told Permit Karen to leave their property when she had a meltdown over their right to install a stone patio in their backyard. That's how the woman, whose real name is Susan, earned the handle.

The couple says PK barged onto their property 3 times in 30 minutes, peppering them with questions about permits for the home improvement project ... and when she didn't get her way, they claim she called the cops with false allegations of an assault against her.

After the couple posted the video, a group of local youths organized a protest ... marching up and down the block and chanting outside Susan's home.

Other neighbors on the block, many of whom are white, are also giving Susan hell ... claiming she was trying "to put her black neighbors back in their place" by calling the police.

The couple claims Susan's been harassing them for 2 years, but called this week's incident an example of "white entitlement and black hate embodied."

We reached out to police in Montclair ... no word back, so far.

Conor McGregor's longtime coach says the UFC star is really retired -- "as far as I can tell" -- but admits things can change in a heartbeat.

Of course, Conor announced his retirement from MMA earlier this month -- the 3rd time he's "retired" in 4 years -- but nobody really believes he means it.

So, when John Kavanagh decided to host a quick online Q&A this week -- he was peppered with questions about Conor's career.

QUESTION: Is Conor retired?

ANSWER: "Yes, he is as far as I can tell. It's what he said, isn't it!?

QUESTION: Can you convince him to come back?!

ANSWER: "I can't convince Conor to do sh*t. Conor will tell Conor what he's gonna do and who knows what's gonna happen in the future. But, for now, he's retired."

Someone asked how Conor would fare against the reigning welterweight champ Kamaru Usman -- and Kavanaugh gave an interesting answer to that as well.

"That would be interesting," John said ... nothing that "a very motivated Conor" could beat anyone around his weight class.

He included Colby Covington in that list -- but didn't mention Khabib.

Earlier this year, Kamaru warned Conor about trying to pick a fight with him -- promising he'd beat the Irishman worse than Khabib did!

As for life outside of the Octagon ... Conor's kept busy hanging with his family, drinkin' his Proper 12 whiskey and jetskiin' all over the world.

Dustin Poirier says he's only interested in taking fights that will help him get closer to a title shot -- and a rematch with Conor McGregor wouldn't help his cause.

Remember, Poirier fought Conor bad in 2014 and lost in the 1st round -- but Dustin's been an ANIMAL ever since, beating stars like Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway.

In fact, Dustin is currently the #3 ranked UFC lightweight fighter -- with Conor behind him at #4.

Poirier tells TMZ Sports he thinks a win over Dan "The Hangman" Hooker on Saturday will get him closer to a title shot ... but he might need one more victory to seal the deal.

So, we asked if he'd be interested in McGregor after Hooker -- but Dustin says it just doesn't make sense.

"I mean I'd love to for the financial part of it but I'm not chasing grudge matches at this point in my life," Poirier says.

"I'd rather fight Tony Ferguson and get closer to the title but we'll see what happens."

Plus, as Dustin pointed out ... McGregor says he's retired from MMA ... so, it's not on the table anyway!

As for Dan Hooker -- who's on a 3-fight win streak -- Dustin says the key to victory is patience.

A Black Lives Matter protester probably has a giant knot on his head after getting socked by a counter-protester, and what's startling about the video is a cop's response.

Ya gotta see the video from this weekend in Bethel, Ohio ... a solo white guy was demonstrating for #BLM in the middle of a huge crowd of counter-protesters when someone came up from behind him and landed a punch square on the back of his noggin. Mind you, a police officer appeared to witness the blow from just a few feet away.

The man who was smacked doesn't flinch much, and keeps his composure for a few moments before complaining to the cop. The officer didn't do much, other than joining the mob of people in telling him to get outta town and go protest somewhere else.

Other cops eventually escort the BLM protester away from the hoard of angry white folks ... who yelled at him, "motherf***er" and "mama's boy."

If this video doesn't already show it ... the Bethel protest turned ugly quick, with hundreds of anti-protesters showing up with Trump gear, allegedly shouting racist slurs and carrying rifles. Police had originally only planned for about 100 people to show up ... but that number swelled to nearly 1,000.

As a President once said ... "Very fine people."

The man who manages Justin Gaethje and Khabib Nurmagomedov has a warning to Conor McGregor -- you won't get a title shot until you fight a top-tier opponent like Tony Ferguson.

Ali Abdelaziz -- who also reps champs like Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo -- says he's sick and tired of Conor always trying to strong-arm himself into title fights that he doesn't deserve.

"Right now, he's on punishment for his bad behavior," Ali tells TMZ Sports ... "Right now, he needs to sit down."

"Go fight Tony Ferguson, stay busy, stay active. Go fight Jorge Masvidal. Stay active, I want to see activity. Remember, he used to say that to all of us, guess what? Payback is a bitch."

Obviously, Ali doesn't believe Conor's recent retirement announcement will stick -- he thinks it's just another attention grab.

"Same old prostitute, he wants attention."

Ali says he's unsure if either Khabib or Justin would even give Conor a shot -- but an impressive performance against a guy like Tony Ferguson or Jorge Masvidal would help his case.

Ali also talked about the upcoming UFC 251 main event between his two clients Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns -- and how they won't let their friendship stand in the way of a ferocious brawl on Fight Island.

"Best two fighters in the division that's gonna fight. Buy the Pay-per-view and you're gonna find out."

"Mine was way better. Way vicious. My dude couldn’t get up."

That's Cody Garbrandt spelling out why his violent walk-off knockout of Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250 was better than Sean O'Malley's KO ... and yeah, they take this stuff seriously!

No Love reached back and smacked the daylights out of Assuncao with just seconds left in the 2nd round ... sensationally ending his 3 fight losing streak.

"I knew that as soon as I started that punch, the trajectory of where it was going, the force and the speed, it was going to connect and knock him out," Cody tells TMZ Sports.

"It was a picture-perfect punch and just a nice walk off."

Earlier in the night, O'Malley finished Eddie Wineland with a 1-hitter quitter of his own.

Both Cody and Sean got $50k performance bonus checks from the UFC ... but we had to ask the question -- which KO was more impressive?

Garbrandt's breakdown is pretty great ... explaining that his opponent is "leap years ahead of any adversary [O'Malley] has ever fought."

"Hats off to him. He did good, went out there and performed, got a knockout victory ... but you can’t compare when you’re fighting the Top 5 in the world."

"[O'Malley has] never fought anybody in the Top 15, so that’s a huge difference when you’re able to starch people like that at each level."

We also asked Cody if that punch was hardest he's ever hit anyone -- and got another great answer.

The husband of the Phoenix "Karen" -- who went viral for making a racist comment to a woman, and getting a slap in return -- is explaining his wife's behavior and offering a tearful apology.

Bob Harrian appealed directly to Karina Rodriguez -- the woman who slapped his wife, Tamara, in the gas station altercation -- during an interview with FOX10, saying, "I'm just so sorry that this happened. You never walked into that store thinking something like this was going to happen. I understand, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what she said."

Bob didn't excuse Tamara's racist rant, but explained ... "I just have to tell you this -- it's her mental illness. A year ago she would never have done, never have even thought of that."

He claims his wife's actions are the result of a break-in at their home last year, and says she's developed paranoia and signs of fabrication. He hopes the slap video will be enough to convince Tamara to finally seek treatment for her issues.

Carole Baskin is getting more than she bargained for now that she's won control of Joe Exotic's old zoo -- Jeff Lowe says it's got at least one skeleton in the closet!!! Like, for real.

Jeff and his wife, Lauren, told us Carole's court victory is a little hollow for her, because she won't inherit any of the exotic animals you saw in the 'Tiger King' series -- they're all going to Jeff's new zoo. She's essentially getting a giant dirt lot, with some bamboo shoots, in Wynnewood, OK.

Jeff says the only bonus for Baskin is the remains of a young Native American boy buried on the property, as if Carole hasn't heard enough buzz about buried bodies.

As we reported, Carole won a $1 million judgment against Joe and his mother way back when, but Baskin never got the bread. Now, the judge says Joe's transfer of the zoo land to his mom and Jeff was fraudulent, so the judge granted Carole control of the land to help satisfy the outstanding $1 mil.

Jeff and Lauren aren't ticked about the decision at all. They told us why Carole actually deserves the land, in their opinion.

Now, back to the human remains -- Jeff hinted there's more than one skeleton on the land that used to belong to a Native American tribe. You gotta see what happened when we pressed him for more -- turns out the Lowes have a reality show in the works.

Henry Cejudo is DEAD SERIOUS about boxing Ryan Garcia ... and says there's already been talk about money and a location for the scrap.

TMZ Sports talked to 33-year-old Cejudo -- fresh off his UFC retirement -- and Triple C made it clear his ongoing beef with 21-year-old Garcia ain't just for the Gram ... he legit wants to box the undefeated pugilist.

"I really don't think [Ryan Garcia's] that good. I really don't, and I think with a proper team, the right game plan, I believe I can make him bend the knee in front of Oscar De La Hoya," Cejudo tells us.

"I feel like I have the tools, the power, the strength, the experience and we wanna make this happen."

But, this ain't just a pipe dream ... Cejudo says his team has already been in talks with promoters, and the cash and location are there to make this super fight a reality.

Henry says the fight could go down in Saudi Arabia ... adding, "We got the money guy that's willing to pay both of us. It's just up to little Ryan candy Garcia to sign that contract."

FYI -- Saudi Arabia is becoming a big player in the boxing world ... and even hosted 2019's blockbuster rematch, Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz II.

The trash talk didn't stop there ... Henry also sent a message to King Ry.

"Ryan Garcia, you absolutely make me sick man. I would make you bend the knee so quick, you have no idea. You can throw about 100 punches, but it only takes one of mine to make you bend the knee, so sign the contract baby!"

Remember, Garcia recently told us he too is serious about boxing Cejudo ... and is even interested in an MMA bout with the future Hall of Famer.

Joe Exotic isn't gonna sleep well tonight -- his nemesis, Carole Baskin, now has control of the Oklahoma zoo that used to be his, thanks to a judge's ruling.

The short story is Carole won a $1 million judgment against Joe and his mom many years ago, but she never got the dough. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge said Joe's transfer of the zoo land to his mother and Jeff Lowe was fraudulent. So, now the judge is granting Carole control of the land to help satisfy that $1 mil judgment from the old trademark lawsuit.

The federal judge's ruling says Jeff has 120 days to get himself and all of the animals off the property. You'll recall, he had just re-opened last month and renamed the zoo, Tiger King Park.

Doesn't sound like Jeff is too busted up about the loss of land. He and his wife, Lauren, tell TMZ, "We have long anticipated that the judge would eventually undo the 2016 land transfer. We are thankful that he dragged out his decision this long and allowed us time to complete the new Tiger King Park in Thackerville Oklahoma, behind the World’s largest casino."

If you hadn't heard, Jeff was already planning to ditch Joe's old Tiger King Park property in Wynnewood, OK.

Jeff and Lauren continued, "Considering [Carole] spent approximately 2.5M chasing her 1M judgment, we congratulate her on her new acquisition of 16 acres in rural Oklahoma."

They took one parting shot, saying, "The possibility of human remains being buried on this land should make her feel right at home."

Yeah, we think Joe would second that emotion.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says he's absolutely fed up with President Donald Trump ... firing off a flaming-hot statement on POTUS' handling of the recent protests in America.

“He’s not just divisive. He’s a destroyer," Pop told The Nation. "To be in his presence, makes you die. He will eat you alive for his own purposes."

He continued ... "I’m appalled that we have a leader who can’t say 'black lives matter.' That’s why he hides in the White House basement. He is a coward. He creates a situation and runs away like a grade schooler."

"Actually, I think it’s best to ignore him. There is nothing he can do to make this better because of who he is: a deranged idiot."

Of course, POTUS faced backlash after he tweeted of the looting in Minneapolis, "These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen." He also tweeted, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."

Pop -- who has been passionately outspoken about his issues with Trump -- makes it clear he has a problem with how the president reacted to the protests turning violent.

"It’s unbelievable," the NBA coach said. "If Trump had a brain, even if it was 99 percent cynical, he would come out and say something to unify people. But, he doesn’t care about bringing people together. Even now."

"That’s how deranged he is. It’s all about him. It’s all about what benefits him personally. It’s never about the greater good. And, that’s all he’s ever been."

But, it's not just Trump who Pop's pissed about ... he says the whole system needs to change.

"In the end, what we have is a fool in place of a president, while the person who really runs the country, Senator Mitch McConnell, destroys the United States for generations to come."

Jon Jones says his run as UFC's light heavyweight champ is OVER -- claiming he's giving up the title amid a nasty pay dispute with Dana White.

"I hurt myself every time I walk out there and take a punch to the head and not feel my pay is worth it anymore," Jones said.

The drama began over negotiations for a Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou super fight.

Dana White said Jones is demanding $30 mil for the fight -- way too high for White. Jones says he never asked for that much.

Both have spoken publicly -- calling BS on the other side.

In fact, just a few days ago, Jones tweeted at White to release him from his contract.

Things escalated on Sunday ...

Jones tweeted that Dominick Reyes should fight Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title ... saying, "As of right now, I got nothing to really gain fighting either of them."

"Let me know if you guys want to set up a day in 2021 for that Izzy fight. Hopefully you guys will be willing to pay by then."

When someone asked Jones if this means he's "revoking" the title -- Jon replied, "Yes."

"Bones out, when you see me in the streets just call me JJ."

"To the light heavyweight title Veni, vidi, vici" -- which means, "I came, I saw, I conquered."