Fights & Feuds

Tiger Woods has just notched a big victory in court over his ex ... a judge has ruled Erica Herman's gripes with the golfing legend must go to a behind-closed-doors arbitrator -- something Woods has been wanting for months.

Herman initially sued Woods back in early March ... alleging he wrongly kicked her out of their Florida home following their split in 2022. She argued at the time her disputes should play out in public court -- not private arbitration -- claiming an NDA that he made her sign in 2017 should be nullified on the grounds that Woods allegedly conditioned her job and right to live their home on their romantic relationship -- which she says constitutes "sexual harassment" under Florida law.

Woods countered that she couldn't bring him to court, saying the NDA required any qualms between the two to be meted out in arbitration. He added that he had never been sexually inappropriate with her.

Martin County, Fla. judge Elizabeth A. Metzger ruled in Woods' favor late Wednesday, saying Herman must abide by the NDA's arbitration provision.

She also said in her ruling Herman's sexual harassment claims were "vague and threadbare" and "implausibly pled" ... writing, "Herman has had the opportunity [to] provide factual specificity for any claim relating to sexual assault or sexual harassment, however, she has not done so."

It's unclear if Herman has plans to appeal.

Woods and Herman began dating around six years ago, shortly after she had been hired to work at his Florida restaurant. She alleged in court filings that once they became romantic, he "forced her to sign an NDA ... or else be fired from her job."

The couple dated until the fall of '22 ... when Herman claimed Woods concocted a scheme involving false promises of a spontaneous vacation to throw her out of their home. She argued it all violated an oral agreement they had -- and she sued his trust for $30 mil.

The season finale of "Vanderpump Rules" delivered the long-awaited showdown between Tom Sandoval and his ex Ariana Madix over Tom's affair with Raquel Leviss ... and the scene was every bit as dramatic as everyone predicted -- and then some!!!

Wednesday's epic show was actually filmed back in March after news broke in the press about Tom and Raquel's romance, blowing up Tom's 9-year relationship with Ariana.

Ariana confronted Tom about the media reports and the two got into a tense -- and at times nasty -- back and forth while sitting across from one another in their L.A. apartment.

Gazing at Tom, Ariana remarked, "Still haven't said sorry for what you actually did." Tom responded, "Every time I tried to apologize to you, it just makes you more angry."

Ariana snapped, "Good! Let me be angry. You should still f***ing apologize."

At that moment, Tom apologized, saying he didn't mean to hurt Ariana. But, Ariana wasn't buying it, pointing out that Tom continued to sleep with Raquel over and over again.

Not true, says Tom, insisting that he hadn't been cheating with Raquel "for a while."

Of course, Ariana didn't believe Tom and blamed Raquel for becoming enamored with him. She then accused Raquel of looking to "f*** one of her best friend's life partners," i.e. Tom.

Tom explained that he and Raquel became "really good friends" before admitting that he was "seeking something that I wasn't getting here." He added, "And that's selfish. That's really selfish."

Suddenly, Ariana hit the roof, screaming, "I don't give a f*** about f***ing Raquel! Your friendship is f***ing bulls***!"

The conversation only got worse as Tom and Ariana drilled down on their deteriorating relationship before the affair. Tom admitted, "We had no sex life. I lost all my mojo."

Ariana mocked Tom, saying, "So f*** my friend then, get your mojo back." Tom answered, "Once I turned 40, I was like, 'This can't be the rest of my life.'"

More angry words were exchanged between the two before the discussion came to a close with all their emotions pouring out.

Ariana said, "I regret every moment that I stood up for you, defended you, supported you. You're worth nothing. And I want you to feel that deep in your soul."

She continued, "I want you to hear those words coming from the mouth of the woman that f***ing stood by you and loved you and was ready to build the rest of my life around you. Hear my words and know that that's how I feel about you. I regret ever loving you."

Defeated, with tears in his eyes, Tom could barely bring himself to say, "I never thought this would happen. I thought we'd be together forever."

Ariana, also crying, ended with this..."I would have followed you anywhere. I would have changed any part of whatever you weren't happy with. I was 100% committed to you as of literally two days ago."

All that was just the opening for the show. The rest of the episode dealt with the fallout from Tom and Ariana's break up with the other cast members getting involved and gossiping about it.

But, you'll have to sit down and watch it for yourself. Bring the popcorn.

Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones may be on life support, but it's not dead ... and if the UFC is ever down to cross-promote an event with the PFL, "The Predator" says he only needs a couple of months for a scrap with the man most believe is the greatest ever!

"I'd be ready in two or three months from that moment I agree with that," 36-year-old Ngannou told TMZ Sports late Monday.

Francis reiterated ... he wants Jon, and always has.

"I'd be on board. Listen, first of all, I always claim for this Jon Jones fight, I always wanted Jon Jones fight and then it seem like they didn't want to make this Jon Jones fight happen."

Of course, despite months of negotiations, a deal never came together between Francis, Jon, and the UFC.

Ngannou believes UFC was using the Jones fight as bait to get him to sign with the promotion.

"Until they wanna use Jon Jones as leverage to play me and that wasn't something that was going to happen. The Jon Jones fight wasn't just coming as a fight," Francis said, adding ... "He came with strings attached. That's what I would say. Jon Jones fight was coming with strings attached which was the thing that I couldn't take it just like that."

Despite the fact Ngannou is now with PFL and it's likely hell would freeze over before the companies worked together, that hasn't stopped the two MMA stars from continuing to talk about each other.

In fact, Bones tweeted on Tuesday ... "Calling yourself the baddest man on the planet from across the street, who does that? Lol"

Francis then responded ... "Then cross the street"

Rolly Romero pulled out all the stops before fighting Ismael Barroso on Saturday ... rockin' a 20-carat diamond pendant of HIMSELF, and it's awesome!

The lightweight boxer earned a (controversial) 9th-round TKO against Barroso at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on May 13th ... bringing his record to 15-1.

But, before the fight (and the much-debated stoppage by veteran official Tony Weeks), Romero pulled up in style, rocking an iced-out pendant of himself in a fur coat and no shirt ... an outfit that may look familiar to boxing fans.

It's the exact fit Romero wore during his viral press conference with Gervonta 'Tank' Davis last year ... before their fight on May 2022 scrap.

TMZ Sports has learned Rolly hit up GS & Co. and commissioned the piece ... and he picked the Tank presser outfit because he believes it's one of the most iconic moments of his career.

We're told the piece is loaded with 20 carats of round VVS diamonds and 120 grams of 14k yellow gold ... and the retail value is around $30K.

As we previously reported, Romero also wore "Channel Orange" custom boxing shoes -- in tribute to musician Frank Ocean.

Bad news for anyone hoping to see two ex-NFL stars settle their longstanding beef in the ring ... 'cause Vontaze Burfict is slamming the door on a boxing match with Le'Veon Bell -- saying he wants to golf instead!!

In case you missed it, Bell was talking about potential future opponents on the "Misfits Boxing" podcast recently ... and said he wanted to get revenge for what he felt was a dirty play during a game in 2015.

It's pretty obvious who he was referring to, considering Bell suffered a knee injury in Week 8 against the Bengals that season ... after Burfict and another Cincinnati defender made a tackle on the running back.

"It's someone from football," Bell said. "They had purposely injured me. I don’t think I want to say the name, but people who watched my career when I hurt my knee, people know. Yeah, people know. I would love to put my hands on him in a ring."

Vontaze got wind of Le'Veon's comments, and instead of accepting the offer the ex-Steelers running back laid down, Burfict suggested they do a charity golf event instead.

“[Le’Veon Bell] why we lookin to fight?" Burfict wrote on Instagram. "Why not show everyone WE can change the narrative. Let’s show the world WE can squash beef in other ways than boxing. Let’s meet and compete on the golf course."

He continued ... "Get some charities involved so WE can help people in need and show kids that we resolved our differences to make the world a better place.”

Le'Veon didn't seem too thrilled with Burfict's idea ... writing, "lol sure bro."

But that didn't stop him from clapping back at Burfict's former teammate, Adam "Pacman" Jones, who said he'd bet $100k that VB beats Bell in a fight.

"I throw hands, I don't wrestle .. tell em step in the squared circle tho & i’ll beat the dog s*** out of him … & you can put whatever you want on dude, it’s yo money to lose," Bell tweeted at Jones.

Priscilla Presley is no longer beefing with her granddaughter Riley Keough ... they just settled their dispute over Lisa Marie's trust, and we're told Priscilla's walking away with fatter pockets.

Priscilla and Riley's legal teams were in court Tuesday, where they reached a settlement over who controls Lisa's trust, which reportedly includes the Graceland mansion and a stake in the lucrative Elvis Presley Enterprises.

Sources connected tell TMZ ... Lisa Marie's estate paid an undisclosed sum of money to Priscilla to settle the dispute. Our sources say it's in the millions.

TMZ broke the story ... a trust battle broke out in the wake of Lisa Marie's death back in January, with her mom Priscilla challenging an amendment to Lisa Marie's trust, which eliminated both Priscilla and Lisa's former business manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees and left Riley as the sole trustee.

Priscilla questioned the validity of the amendment. She claimed it was never delivered to her, the document misspelled her name, the date on the document was suspicious, and Lisa Marie's signature appeared "inconsistent with her usual and customary signature."

There was a ton of money on the line ... and now it looks like Priscilla's getting a chunk of change.

Britney Spears' two sons want nothing to do with Los Angeles anymore and plan to move to the Aloha State for a more private life, away from the attention swirling around their mother ... according to sources with direct knowledge.

Our sources say Kevin Federline, Britney's ex-husband, had his attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, fire off a letter to Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, asking if she'd be open to letting Jayden James and Sean Preston relocate to Hawaii full-time with their dad and stepmom, Victoria Prince.

Our sources say they want a response from Britney by week's end. If Britney objects, Kaplan will go to court and ask permission from the judge ... and given Britney hasn't seen the kids in more than a year and the kids want to leave town, it's likely the judge will allow the move.

We're told it's unlikely the case will end up in court and Britney will acquiesce to the move.

Our sources say Victoria has a job offer at a university in Hawaii, Kevin has DJ opportunities there as well, and the kids are eager to make the move. We're told they plan to leave L.A. for Hawaii sometime in July.

16-year-old Jayden will continue taking classes remotely, and 17-year-old Sean Preston will have graduated high school by the time they move, though his plans are unclear.

The kids have been with Kevin and Victoria 100% for a long time, so the move would not be disruptive.

As we reported, Jayden and Sean weren't at Britney's wedding last year ... and months later, she addressed the difficulties in her relationship with the kids by scoffing at Jayden's wish that she gets better.

Joe Fournier is officially appealing his loss to KSI ... just two days after the YouTube star scored an (albeit controversial) knockout victory over the English businessman/boxer, the Professional Boxing Association announced Monday.

The PBA confirmed it received a request from Fournier to review/appeal Saturday night's decision at London's Wembley Arena ... a fight he lost by second-round knockout. However, Fournier says he was put down by an illegal strike, an elbow, not a punch ... and therefore he shouldn't have lost the fight.

Now, representatives for Fournier and KSI will have an opportunity to go before the PBA and state their cases as to why the result should or should not be changed after the fact.

Moments before KSI's elbow came into play, he landed a looping right on Fournier's ear, a punch that appeared to wobble JF. Then, just seconds later, 29-year-old KSI sent Joe crashing to the floor.

Question is, was the strike legal? Fournier believes no.

After the fight, KSI tweeted that the outcome was inevitable, but he did acknowledge there was "unintentional contact made with his forearm" during the contest.

A one-of-a-kind belt will be presented when Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti's grandson meet in the ring next month ... with the World Boxing Council designing a special Juneteenth-themed keepsake for the exhibition.

TBE and John Gotti III are slated to fight on June 11 in Florida ... which falls just over a week before the federal holiday.

Given the historic significance of Juneteenth, we're told the WBC wanted to commemorate the day as part of the weekend's festivities by presenting the unique belts to Floyd, as well as Robert Smith, James McNair, and Deon Taylor for their contributions to society.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán spoke with TMZ Sports on the move ... saying "Juneteenth is a national holiday and Floyd Mayweather is the best representative for success and glory through hard work and dedication."

"The WBC will thank and support these four great men who make life better for all every single day."

The belt features broken chains and hands shaking ... as well as the usual "WBC World Champion" etched on the front with "Juneteenth" underneath.

The whole boxing match, put together by Floyd's friend Jona Rechnitz, will be a celebration ... with Ozuna and Lunay set to bring the vibes.

Anthony Smith, the 5th ranked UFC light heavyweight, is fighting 7th ranked Johnny Walker this Saturday ... and while he doesn't think a win will earn him an immediate title shot, "Lionheart" believes it'll put him on a collision course with Alex Pereira, and set him up for a crack at the elusive belt!

"Two months ago I would've told you the winner gets a title shot. Alex Pereira really throws a wrench in that for all of us. I'd like to be able to tell you a win here gets me a title shot, but it probably earns me a fight with Alex Pereira."

Of course, 35-year-old Pereira, the former middleweight champion, recently lost his UFC rematch to Israel Adesanya ... and announced shortly after he'd move up to the 205 lb. division, where making weight will be significantly easier.

Pereira has not yet been added to the UFC's light heavyweight rankings (he's still #1 at middleweight) ... but it's clear Smith believes Alex is going to be fast-tracked to the front of the line.

For Anthony (who's won 3 of his last 4) to be the one to get the Alex fight, and presumably secure an opportunity to earn a title fight by beating him, Smith must defeat the 6'6" Walker, who is coming off two straight wins (Ion Cutelaba in 2022, Paul Craig in 2023).

Smith believes he's got the clear skills advantage over Walker, who at one time was considered a lock to be champ, but Anthony says that doesn't always equate to a win in the Octagon (check out the clip -- Anthony previews the matchup).

Lionheart also joked ... "Only in the UFC is your reward for beating Johnny Walker a tougher fight with Alex Pereira."

Despite Pereira's incredible power and kickboxing, Anthony is pumped for the would-be fight.

"I like it. I like Alex. I'm a fan. I think he has obvious holes in his game and I think that those are going to be exposed a little more at 205. But looking at it from the outside, I'm a fan of that guy. I love the style. I love his aura. He's got this serial killer aura."

First things first ... Smith vs. Walker goes down Saturday afternoon on ABC! 👊

Frank Ocean's Coachella performance didn't put a bad taste in Rolly Romero's mouth ... 'cause the boxer will be showing love for the singer during his fight against Ismael Barroso on Saturday!!

TMZ Sports is told ... the lightweight fighter is a huge Ocean fan, so he hit up his go-to guy, Aztek Kustoms, to create boxing shoes featuring the Simpsons-inspired cover art of his favorite song -- "Pyramids."

The finished product is dope ... you can see the Nike Machomai 2 shoes are covered in orange paint with "Channel" stitched with rhinestones on the back -- paying homage to Ocean's Channel Orange album.

There's also a portrait of the 14-1 boxer in "Simpson" form with a female on the bed -- just like the song's cover -- showing him rockin' the same fur coat he wore during his press conference with Gervonta Davis last May.

"These took me roughly 20 hours," Aztek said. "Both of the portraits are hand-painted. And, of course, they wouldn't be Rolly's without the rhinestones."

FYI, Aztek has created custom shoes featuring musicians for Rolly before -- last May, he made "Purple Rain" shoes with Prince on them for the Davis fight.

"These are both mine and his favorite pair so far," Aztek said. "Just because we had a lot more time to actually talk about the design and put more detail into them."

Aztek said the shoes were delivered a few days ago, but he's stoked to watch Rolly show off his design during the 12-round match at The Cosmopolitan for the vacant WBA super lightweight title.

"Stylistically, I don't believe [D-Rod] is my toughest opponent."

That's 25-year-old, undefeated UFC star Ian Garry ... on the eve of his first fight with a ranked fighter, 15th ranked welterweight, Daniel Rodriguez.

And, while he may be the first guy with a little number next to his name, Garry straight-up says Daniel isn't the best he's faced.

"I don't believe he poses as much threat as a lot of people have. He's a very one-dimensional, standard fighter. He's a Southpaw boxer in MMA. Doesn't throw a lot of kicks. Doesn't go for takedowns. Doesn't go for submissions," Ian told us.

"So, I find that as an easy opponent. Whereas there are some guys who are a bit more wrestling based, have heavy hands, and like to kind of bang to get into a takedown, and I would find them a bit more difficult."

Garry is currently unranked ... but believes he will take Rodriguez's spot with a win, and that'd mean the world to him.

"I'm f****** excited to get ranked No.15 in the world. When you knock No.15 out, take No.15. I like that it's No.15. There's something symbolic about being in the top 15," Ian said of being regarded as one of the best 170 lb. fighters in the world.

And, when he steps in the Octagon on Saturday afternoon, Garry's going to be doing it on network television.

Floyd Mayweather is returning to the boxing ring in 30 days, and when he does, there will be a few hundred special guests in attendance ... and we're not talking about the celebs that typically fill the stands when TBE fights!

They'll be there, too (more on that later) ... but even better, we're told Floyd wanted to do something nice, so he linked up with two of his business partners/friends, and they're bringing kids from the inner city to the fight.

"I have teamed up with Robert Smith and Deon Taylor with a charitable initiative attached to my upcoming fight. We are going to be hosting several hundred underprivileged kids from the inner city to come to my fight and we will have a day of fun with them and a private dinner with them during the fight week," Mayweather tells us.

FYI, Smith, a billionaire, has donated many millions of dollars to different causes, including civil rights, over the years.

Everyone else will have to pay for tickets, which went on sale yesterday and have been selling fast, according to our sources.

The June 11 scrap between Floyd and John Gotti III, the grandson of legendary mobster John Gotti, is different than a typical Mayweather fight ... it's also a top-notch concert, featuring Puerto Rican rapper Lunay and others.

We recently spoke to Lunay ... and asked him about being part of the big event.

We're told Ozuna, a longtime supporter of Money, AND Bad Bunny will also be in the building.

"I’m happy to come and support my brother Floyd Mayweather. We have been friends for many years. He is the G.O.A.T.," Ozuna tells TMZ Sports.

As for other celebs who will be in the house, we're told a bunch of star athletes will also be in the building.

Kendrick Perkins and JJ Redick don't always see eye to eye when debating sports, but the NBA champ tells TMZ Sports he loves the idea of the former three-point sniper becoming an NBA head coach -- saying, "He knows his s***."

We caught up with Perkins at LAX, where we asked how he felt about the Raptors reportedly interviewing Redick for the open spot after they fired Nick Nurse following a disappointing season, and he gave his ESPN colleague a ringing endorsement.

"I actually love it, to be honest with you," Perkins told us. "One thing about it, he [Redick] knows his s***. Also, on top of that, man, any time you can see a former player that played the game get an opportunity to go sit in that seat, you would love to see it."

Perk said if Toronto hires Redick ahead of other viable candidates with more coaching experience, he would feel bad. Nevertheless, Perk told us he'd be happy if Redick became an NBA head coach, believing he brings value to any team's locker room.

"Obviously, he's jumping ahead of a few guys that I would love to see get an opportunity that's been waiting in line," Perk said. "Sam Cassell. Phil Handy. You hate to see it because those guys served as assistants for about 10, 15, 20 years."

"But you always want to see a guy like JJ do it. He knows his s***," he continued.

Perkins and Redick have gained popularity for their spirited back-and-forth on "First Take" about who should win the NBA MVP Award this season, but Kendrick reassured fans it's all love between him and JJ and gave the impression there's mutual respect on both sides.

Jake Paul doesn't step in the boxing ring for another three months, but he's already got his sights set on his next opponent after Nate Diaz ... and it's none other than Conor McGregor!!

The Problem Child -- who's fighting Diaz on Aug. 5 in Dallas -- laid out his plans to Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 ... saying he fully intends to knock Diaz out (something Conor never did), and then lock in a fight with Notorious.

Of course, Nate and Conor have one of the greatest rivalries in UFC history ... and with their series tied up at one win a piece, Diaz wants to take care of business against Jake and then revisit his old nemesis one last time.

But, Jake says he's going to spoil Nate's plans of a trilogy fight by jumping him in line for a shot at Conor ... and he thinks McGregor will have "no choice but to make the biggest fight in combat sports."

Paul -- 6-1 as a pro boxer -- understands Conor would need permission from UFC honcho Dana White to make the fight happen ... but he seems optimistic that the money would do enough talking to get him to agree.

Remember, Jake has gone after a fight with McGregor a few times in the past ... trolling the UFC superstar nearly every chance he's gotten over the years. McGregor has fired back from time to time too -- but they haven't been able to mix it up in a ring.

If a fight does eventually go down, Jake says he's hopeful it'd be a boxing match ... but he told us he ain't opposed to MMA either.

"We can do a two-part series," the 24-year-old said. "One boxing, one MMA in PFL. Make it happen, no problem."

What do you say, Conor???

WAP meets WWE??

The crossover of the ages could happen if WWE Superstars Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez get their wish ... 'cause the Women's Tag Team Champions just revealed their dream wrestling match is against Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion!!

Morgan and Raquel were in Puerto Rico for Backlash when they laid down the gauntlet to Cardi and Meg while speaking to WrestlingNews, officially putting the award-winning MCs on notice.

Liv was asked which two celebrities she and Raquel would love to go toe to toe with in the squared circle ... and she answered without hesitation, "We’re talking Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. We want them."

Rodriguez added, "They’ve had a little interaction with some of our other Superstars. They’re always interacting on Twitter, so I think they would be more than willing to come and have a little fun with Liv and I."

On the surface, it seems like an unfair fight if we're talking inside the ring. After all, Morgan and Rodriguez are on top of their game after defeating Hall of Famer Trish Stratus and "The Man" Becky Lynch for the Women's Tag Team Championship.

But, Morgan told the outlet she and Rodriguez aren't trying to disrespect the two "WAP" artists by challenging them to a match ... and said how much they adore Cardi and Meg.

“I’m sure they are both highly athletic, so this is our official call out, but we love you guys," Morgan said. "It’s not in a mean way. We love you.”