Fights & Feuds

Young Buck claims 50 Cent continues trying to block him from dropping new music, and goes so far as to say Fiddy's the reason he filed for bankruptcy.

You gotta see how Buck opened up on the "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" podcast, ripping his ol' G-Unit pal for the slew of ongoing legal and recording issues between them.

For Young Buck, the 'G' in G-Unit might as well stand for greed ... because he says 50 Cent fired off a cease and desist letter to stop him from making any music. That move forced Buck to find a loophole, though.

He says he filed for bankruptcy to discharge all his debts, including the money 50 claims he still owes.

Quick hip hop history lesson: the "In Da Club" rapper formed G-Unit with Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks and Buck back in 1999 -- but since then their relationship's gone south.

So much so, Buck claims 50 Cent even prevented him from working on his last album, which would have allowed Buck to wipe his hands clean of the contract. He says without the bankruptcy filing, he'd still be sidelined.

As far as ironing out things ... YB says he doesn't want to have to sue 50, and end up in a lengthy court battle -- instead, he'd prefer they squash it all with a mano-a-mano convo.

Dana White says he absolutely hated the sight of Jorge Masvidal allegedly attacking Colby Covington outside a restaurant in Miami ... but he tells TMZ Sports Chaos had it coming when he brought up Gamebred's family.

"Obviously, I don't condone guys getting into fights in the street and I hate everything about it," White tells us.

"But again, this is a business where I'm gonna fight you and there's a certain level of what I believe is man code where you don't talk about people's families, you don't talk bout the kids and you don't talk bout their wives."

White says Covington should've known Masvidal would (allegedly) come for Covington in the streets ... saying that's what happens when people cross the line.

"Especially with a guy like Jorge Masvidal. If you do that to Jorge Masvidal, you better watch yourself when you're coming out of restaurants."

Masvidal was arrested and hit with two felony charges -- aggravated battery with a mask and criminal mischief -- after allegedly punching Covington twice, breaking his tooth in the process.

Masvidal has pled not guilty to the charges ... and is due back in court for a hearing in the case later this month.

Will Smith finally got his punishment for slapping Chris Rock at The Oscars -- the Academy of Motion Pictures has made him persona non grata for a decade for that slap.

The Academy's Board of Governors met Friday and after the vote, the Academy President and CEO said, "The Board [of Governors] has decided, for a period of 10 years, from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards."

He continues with an Academy mea culpa  ... "During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers, and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short -- unprepared for the unprecedented."

The Prez went on to thank Chris Rock ... "We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances."

A statement allegedly from Smith after the announcement read, "I accept and respect the Academy's decision."

TMZ broke the story ... our sources told us the Academy lied about asking Will to leave the Dolby Theater after the slap. Turns out it was the exact opposite ... as the show's producer Will Packer told Will he could stay.

The Academy was slammed for getting caught in a lie, so this disciplinary hearing also served as its best way to make good for an, at best, fumbled response.

Will had also been dealing with the fallout -- a bunch of his projects are now on ice and he already resigned from the Academy.

The junior tennis player who slapped his opponent in the face following a match earlier this week has issued an apology ... saying his actions were "wrong and completely out of line."

Just three days after 15-year-old Michael Kouame smacked 16-year-old Raphael Nii Ankrah following a loss at an ITF juniors tournament in Ghana ... he said he was very sorry.

Kouame -- who posted the mea culpa on his social media page -- said he acted out and slapped Ankrah after hearing heckling from the crowd during the match.

"I was repeatedly verbally abused by a large number of individuals in the crowd, including insults to my mother in particular," Kouame said. "However, that does not excuse my behavior."

Kouame directly apologized to Ankrah ... and said he'd take any punishment that officials inevitably hand down.

"[I] will use this time to reflect on how I can better manage challenging situations like these in the future in a manner that accurately reflects my character," Kouame said.

There's growing anger toward the LAPD for not arresting Will Smith on the spot even after Chris Rock said he didn't want Will busted -- but fact is, there were only 2 ways cops could have taken Will out of the Dolby Theater in cuffs.

LAPD sources with firsthand knowledge tell us only one officer was inside the auditorium, and he was backstage and didn't see the slap. Since it was misdemeanor battery, the only way a cop could arrest Will on his/her own is if it was committed in their presence, and it was not.

We're told the officer backstage heard what happened and then beelined it for Chris' dressing room, where he waited outside for a while and then asked Chris if he wanted to press charges. We're told Chris was clear he did not, and our LAPD sources dispute what Oscar producer Will Packer claimed ... that Chris was asked if he wanted Will removed.

So there was one other way Will could have been arrested. Someone in the crowd -- and there were several thousand -- could have gone up to a cop and asked to make a citizen's arrest. Under California law, "a private person may arrest another for a public offense committed or attempted in his presence." No one in the crowd asked to do that.

Now we've also learned there was a flood of angry folks -- people who either called LAPD or actually went to one of the divisions -- and asked to arrest Will for battery. Thing is ... they didn't witness the slap in person -- watching it on TV doesn't count -- so LAPD could do nothing.

Erica Campbell is praising Chris Rock for showing restraint in the face of a Will Smith slap to the face ... and his ability to keep calm has only helped draw attention to his comedy tour.

The Gospel singer sat down with Raq on the "It's Tricky With Raquel Harper" podcast ... and shared her take on The Oscars moment, applauding Chris for not fighting fire with fire.

Erica says emotions can cloud judgment and she's proud of Chris for keeping a cool head at the moment ... lifting him up as an example for lots of folks to follow.

It's just one part of the silver lining Erica sees from an otherwise disappointing moment between two celebs she views as important Black figures.

Chris is doing a comedy tour and his shows have been packed -- with a surge in prices on the resale market. Erica believes Chris helped his own case by showing restraint in the moment Will slapped him, and now audiences are drawn to his tour to hear what he has to say about the incident.

WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar's grappling looks have been front and center since 2002, and they are Brock solid!

Here's a 30-year-old version of the then 265-pound pro fighter back in 2008, posing at a UFC photo shoot in Minneapolis, Minnesota (left). Brock's 2008 season concluded with two wins, beating Randy Couture and Heath Herring, and one loss to Frank Mir.

"The Beast Incarnate" ... now 44 years old and 286 pounds ... recently shared a selfie of himself in the gym, working on his stacked physique, as he gears up for WrestleMania 38 (right). The current WWE Champion will be going up against Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Brock-n-roll!

The question here is ...

Somebody got you good on April Fools? There's no way it was worse than what Johnny Knoxville's prank did to WWE superstar Sami Zayn, who tells TMZ Sports the jokester's stunt last month caused his phone to ring nonstop!!!

The wrestler says that after Knoxville put his phone number on a plane for all of Los Angeles to read on March 11 -- he got nearly 300,000 text messages and more than 250,000 calls!!!

"I'm not making these numbers up," Zayn said. "That's insane. That's insane!"

Zayn tells us the phone number prank "ruined my life" -- and now, despite having big beef with Knoxville for a while, he's ready for the shenanigans to end.

Zayn -- who initially started a feud with Johnny when the comedian made an appearance in the WWE several months ago -- said he's going to beat Knoxville to a pulp when the two throw hands in an "anything goes" match at WrestleMania 38 at AT&T Stadium today.

"If you've enjoyed Jackass over the years," Zayn said, "and you've enjoyed watching Johnny Knoxville getting hurt, boy have I got something for you."

For Knoxville's part, he's insisted he's going to beat up Zayn so badly -- the wrestler is going to have to retire after the match.

Chris Rock's brother, Tony Rock, went in hard over the slap, and not just on Will Smith, saying, "You gonna hit my motherf***ing brother because your bitch gave you a side-eye?"

The Shade Room got video of Tony on stage during his set.

Tony has already made his outrage toward Will clear, but he tripled down at a comedy gig. After taking the stage, he said, "If you think you gonna to walk up on this stage, this ain't the motherf***king Oscars! And if you walk your ass up here, you ain't nominated for s*** but these mother****ing hands! Oh, we going Pac the rest of the year, n****. Every time you see me do a show, Pac!" Referencing late rapper Tupac, who, by the way ... used to date Jada Pinkett Smith.

Chris' baby bro has already said, Will's Insta apology to Chris doesn't cut it. As we reported, Will and Chris have not spoken since the slap and Chris has not publicly or privately accepted Smith's mea culpa.

Will Smith has resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after slapping Chris Rock ... TMZ has confirmed.

Will wrote the following to the Academy's disciplinary committee ... "I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable."

He goes on ... "The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken."

And, there's more ... “I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film. So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the board deems appropriate."

He concludes by saying ... “Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”

The Academy is expected to hand down its disciplinary decision in a few weeks.

The felony strangulation charge that Chael Sonnen was hit with following his alleged meltdown at a Las Vegas hotel last year has been dropped ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records, prosecutors declined to move forward with the battery by strangulation count that they had previously charged Sonnen on last month.

The records show five other battery charges -- all misdemeanors -- against Sonnen were dropped as well.

We've reached out to the Clark County District Attorney's office for comment on the decision -- but so far, no word back yet.

Sonnen is still facing five misdemeanor battery charges in the case after officials claim he absolutely lost it in a hallway at the Four Seasons Hotel on Dec. 18.

As we reported, Sonnen is accused of beating up several men and one woman in a fit of rage inside the hotel.

According to police docs, Sonnen told officers at the scene he had no recollection of his alleged actions -- explaining to them that he had taken a sleeping pill and "could not recall" anything after that.

Chris Rock's getting rowdy support from fans after the Oscars slap in the form of at least one person cussing at Will Smith, but the comedian isn't having it ... and Thursday night he quickly defused the situation.

Chris had his 2nd show at Boston's Wilbur Theater briefly interrupted when someone in the crowd shouted out, "F*** Will Smith" -- and Chris heard it immediately, repeatedly saying ... "No, no no" until the chant stopped.

Security reportedly tossed hecklers out left and right, whether they were supporting Chris or not. One kicked-out fan told the New York Post, "All we did was interact and respond to the comedian ... They are so afraid that someone is going to say something that they kicked us out before we could."

Chris did eventually crack a joke about the situation -- reacting to one heckler with, "Is that the Oscars security?"

As we reported, Chris kicked off his "Ego Death" comedy tour at the Wilbur Wednesday night, and briefly addressed the Oscars slap from Will Smith, joking "How was your weekend?"

He told the audience he was still processing what happened and wasn't ready to fully address it.

Chris Rock kicked off his comedy tour in Boston to thunderous applause, but he said he's still processing what went down at the Oscars so he'll talk about the slap later, but he did tease the crowd.

Chris played to a hyper-enthusiastic, sold-out crowd at the Wilbur Theater in Boston, and joked, "How was your weekend?" The crowd loved it.

He then said, "I don't have a bunch of s*** about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I'm still kind of processing what happened," adding, "So, at some point, I'll talk about that s***.  And it will be serious and funny."

So he didn't say whether he accepted Will Smith's apology, although as we reported, our sources say he has not talked to Smith and has not addressed Smith's Instagram mea culpa. Based on what we know, he's not accepting the apology, at least not now.

Chris walked out in a white suit to a huge ovation, and almost seemed surprised, exclaiming, "Whoa, okay!" The applause didn't subside, and Rock implored the crowd, "Yo, let me do the show!"

After Chris' brief opening comments, an audience member screamed, "F*** Will Smith!"

He then said, "I'm going to tell some jokes. It's nice to just be out." And then he launched into his act.

Get this ... the base price for tickets was $50, but after the slap, the price on the street approached as high as $8,000!

As we reported, the President and CEO of the Academy had told Will to leave the Dolby Theatre after the slap, but he refused, and the 2 honchos were, as one source put it, "apoplectic." They were screaming backstage at Will's rep ... it was an insane scene, we're told.

Will Smith was asked to leave the Oscars -- we know that -- but despite his refusal to leave the Dolby Theater after he slapped Chris Rock, forcibly removing him was never an option ... TMZ learned.

LAPD sources tell TMZ ... the cops who were inside the venue were never consulted about removing Smith ... something we're told that would have been done if the Academy wanted him out one way or the other.

As we reported, Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson were "furious" at Will, and there was plenty of yelling backstage with Will's reps after the slap. As one source described it, the Academy honchos were "apoplectic."

Our sources say it didn't take long at all for the officials to make it clear they wanted Will out of the auditorium. The exact words used to his reps were unclear, but as we've reported, Will refused to exit.

The Academy could have buttonholed the Best Actor presenters and told them in advance ... if Will won, simply say he's not invited on stage and then quickly say "We'll be right back" and then they would go to commercial. That didn't happen, and we're told the reasoning was  the Academy officials felt it would make a bad situation even worse.

And, our LAPD sources say the officers on hand not only asked Chris Rock immediately after the incident if he wanted to file a police report, but we're told they followed up a second time and contacted Chris' rep and asked again ... both time cops were told Chris did not want to file.

Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul certainly know how to discuss sensitive topics ... injecting a little humor and a lot of salesmanship into the Will Smith/Chris Rock brouhaha.

We got the "Breaking Bad" stars Wednesday at Chateau Marmont in WeHo ... and they were quick to say lots of stuff can be settled over a bottle ... a bottle of Mezcal.

Yeah, and here's where the salesmanship comes in ... Mezcal is Aaron and Bryan's label. For the uninitiated, it's kind of like tequila, but as Aaron says, it's not tequila.

As for their feelings about the slap, the apology and the fallout, Aaron and Bryan trod lightly, which is what some other celebs are doing as well ... however a number of celebs have come out swinging, railing at Will for ruining the Oscars.

TikTok star Icy Wyatt has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer and another person with a firearm ... according to court documents.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, officers say the 23-year-old was driving erratically Monday night in Sunrise, FL ...  when he stopped his car in the middle of the road. That's when cops say 2 people in another car asked him to move, which apparently set Wyatt off.

Cops say he followed them to a nearby Chick-Fil-A parking lot, where both parties got out of their cars and began to argue. Wyatt allegedly then went into his glove box, pulled out a gun and pointed it at them.

According to the report, one of the alleged victims turned back to get in the car, prompting Wyatt to strike them in the back of the head with the gun ... and Wyatt then peeled out of the parking lot. Cops say they were able to get his tag information and locate him.

When they caught up with Wyatt and arrested him, cops say he resisted and ended up kicking one of the officers in the thigh ... and then kicked the cage bars in the cop car while calling the officer a "c***" and a "bitch."

He was booked Monday night for 2 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of battery on an officer and one count of resisting arrest.