Fights

Ron Perlman is super pissed at the studio executive who wants to bleed striking writers dry before coming to the table to end one of two Hollywood strikes ... so much so, he's making threats.

The "Hellboy" star did not mince words in a since-deleted social media rant Friday, making some ominous threats towards the anonymous studio exec who was quoted as saying studios are purposefully delaying negotiations with the Writers Guild of America "until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses."

In the video, an incensed Ron says ... "Listen to me, motherf*****, there's a lot of ways to lose your house. Some of it is financial, some of it is karma, and some of it is just figuring out who the f*** said that -- and we know who said that -- and where he f****** lives."

Ron continues ... "There's a lot of ways to lose your house. You wish that on people, you wish that families starve, while you're making $27 f***** million a year for creating nothing? Be careful, motherf*****. Be really careful, 'cause that's the kind of s*** that stirs s*** up."

The rant comes in response to a Deadline article this week that quotes anonymous studio executives as revealing their strike plan is to let writers fall into dire straits in order to force a studio-friendly deal.

An absolutely insane fight went down between friends of "The Real Housewives of Potomac" cast members ... with fists flying and women getting yanked down by their hair in this crazy video.

This exclusive video, obtained by TMZ, shows the cast breaking up a fight between friend of the show Keiana Stewart and another woman, Deborah Williams while at Zebbie's Garden in D.C. Thursday night for Ashley Darby's fashion line launch.

According to the police report obtained by TMZ, Candiace Dillard Bassett told police someone threw a drink at her ... and Keiana says she was hit in the forehead with a glass before getting pulled down in the physical altercation.

You can see Candiace and Ashley clearly in the video, trying to break up the messy brawl ... which apparently resulted in some spilled blood. We're told cops responded, but no no arrests were made. However, police are still investigating.

Chael Sonnen has put his Las Vegas hotel fight case behind him ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the UFC legend struck a deal with prosecutors Wednesday to close it all out.

The former fighter, according to court records, agreed to plead no contest to a lesser count of breach of peace ... and in exchange, officials dropped the rest of the charges it had levied against him.

As part of his sentencing, Sonnen was ordered to pay $750, records show.

The 46-year-old was originally facing double-digit charges in the case -- including one felony -- after authorities alleged he had a complete meltdown at the Four Seasons Hotel in LV back in Dec. 2021.

Officials claimed he beat up several men and one woman in a fit of rage while inside a hallway at the establishment.

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

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

Latto's putting her fans on notice -- she's not to be played with when it comes to the trend of people throwing crap onstage, as someone found out during her Rolling Loud Germany set.

The unidentified flying object isn't visible in this video, but the "Big Energy" rapper definitely spotted something, then made direct eye contact with the offending fan ... and lyrically stated she's down to beat their ass if they try it again!!!

The fan attempted the stunt as Latto performed her fight-starting anthem "Put It On Da Floor," but the failed attack didn't disrupt her show ... she just performed angrily.

Artists have been subjected to devious fans in a post-pandemic trend of hurling phones and other items. Bebe Rexha might be the worst incident ... she was decked in the eye with a cell phone last month, but others -- including Harry Styles, most recently -- have been nailed too.

Like Latto, Adele also threatened bodily harm to concert miscreants ... although, she did it more jokingly.

The new Frontier in the skies is bedlam ... and if you don't believe it, watch this video.

A Frontier Airlines flight bound for Vegas from Philly made an unscheduled stop in Denver ... after 2 women got into a foul-mouthed rant that went all WWE.

The women were actually traveling together, when an argument erupted and they took to the aisle. The screaming became ear-shattering and other passengers eventually got involved.

At least one passenger was hit in the head during the melee.

The plane was diverted to Denver and the 2 women were taken off the plane by cops. The FBI was alerted as well. It's unclear if they were arrested or will face criminal charges.

This has become a thing in the air. Last week a woman was channeling "Final Destination" vibes during a crazy meltdown. There have been scores of disruptions on flights... at least one almost daily.

Brandon Royval believes he's next in line for a title shot at flyweight, welcome news for the UFC contender, who says he's clearly the best in the division after watching Alexandre Pantoja beat Brandon Moreno at UFC 290!

30-year-old Royval served as the backup to the co-main event between AP and BM -- training and cutting weight, in the event either of the competitors couldn't fight -- and while he hasn't been told he's next, Royval says his team thinks that's the case.

"I haven't been told necessarily anything," Brandon told us ... "As far as my management team goes, he's like, 'I'm pretty positive you're next, who else, you know? Which is pretty dope because me and Moreno have the same management team."

FYI, both men are repped by Iridium Sports CEO Jason House.

Of course, a rematch between Pantoja and Moreno is also on the table ... but as Royval points out, the guys have already fought three times (2016, 2018, 2023), and the score is 3 to nill.

Not to mention Royval doesn't believe the fight with Moreno was very close, saying he scored it four rounds to one for Alexandre ("I thought the judges f***ed up").

As for how a scrap would look between Royval and Pantoja -- despite losing to AP in 2021 via submission -- Brandon thinks he's got a big-time advantage, and it's his fight to lose.

"There's holes all over all their games," Royval said.

"Watching them fight, I'm like, 'Damn, this could be great for me. They could be walking into some dangerous shots and putting themselves in dangerous positions.'"

The takeaway, Brandon says ... "I know I could be both those guys."

With that said, if it sounds like there's beef between Royval, Moreno, and Pantoja ... that's not the case.

BR says he was touched emotionally by Alexandre's win ... that's how special it was to see him realize his lifelong dream of becoming champion.

"F***ing awesome job," Royval said of AP's performance, adding ... "The moments I've had with Pantoja outside the cage have been such beautiful moments. And that guy's such a good person. Same thing with Moreno."

Brandon continued ... "What a beautiful moment, man. And to watch him win and to watch his family go in and to hear him say what he said was such a beautiful, inspiring moment in my life."

Nicki Minaj's bite just might be as big as her bark on rap tracks -- judging from the hands she's throwing with her sparring partner/husband Kenneth Petty!

"The Pinkprint" rapper shared video evidence of her skills Wednesday, showing off her jab-cross combos and footwork, which all looked pretty convincing.

Nicki never flinched and maintained solid boxing form throughout ... and even finished with a roundhouse kick for good measure.

Y'know what they say about a family that fights together ... don't mess with them!!!

Nicki's workout music was an unreleased collab with JT, and you can hear both dissing rival females who don't stack up to their flyness.

The City Girls rapper was also in the building with Nicki, but didn't break a sweat outside the studio.

Nicki's cooldown wasn't anything to scoff at either ... she backed that thang up on Kenneth and called him Big Daddy!!!

Boxer Otto Wallin spent 12 rounds in the squared circle with Tyson Fury ... and given that experience, the Swedish boxer believes Francis Ngannou has virtually no chance of beating the Gypsy King!

TMZ Sports talked to 32-year-old Wallin after the Fury vs. Ngannou bout was announced on Tuesday ... where we got Otto's thoughts on the matchup.

"Tyson is the best heavyweight fighter in the world in boxing. Ngannou might be the best at MMA at heavyweight. So this fight is gonna be at boxing so you obviously gotta favor Fury a lot. [Tyson's] fighting someone that's making his pro debut as a boxer really. It's a whole different sport, and as difficult as it'll be for Fury to go over to MMA, it's gonna be the same for Ngannou. So of course Fury's gonna be a big favorite."

Because Fury has an immense skill advantage in the boxing ring, Wallin believes Ngannou must use his strength to make the fight as ugly as possible.

"[Francis] can't box him really. He needs to really make it a fight. A dogfight. Take it to Fury. Rough him up," Otto told us.

"He's gotta go in there and use what he has. He's a strong guy, so try to push Fury around, and try to land punches that he can, cause he can't be there in a boxing match. He can't just stand a long distance and try to box 'cause then he's gonna be picked apart."

And, Wallin knows what he's talking about.

Remember, Tyson and Otto fought at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in September 2019 ... where Fury won by unanimous decision. But, that doesn't begin to tell the story of the fight ... which certainly could've been stopped because of an awful gash on TF's head.

His cut man did an amazing job managing the cut, and Tyson ended up winning a close fight. In fact, it's the last Fury bout that went to the judges. Since Otto, the Gypsy King has stopped heavyweight stars Deontay Wilder (twice) and Dillian Whyte (Derek Chisora, too).

As for his prediction, Wallin sees a knockout on the horizon.

Will his prediction ring true?

Donald Trump is one of the most polarizing people ever, but that wasn't the case at UFC 290 ... the former president received heaps of love from the packed crowd in Las Vegas, including celebs and fighters!

The 45th President of the United States was captured on video walking into T-Mobile Arena flanked by longtime friend, UFC president Dana White, escorted by a gang of Secret Service Agents ... where Trump received a raucous ovation.

After enough handshakes to put a campaign event to shame (including dapping up Raiders star Maxx Crosby), Trump and White made their way to their seats, Octagon-side.

The card featured a ton of great fights ... and a bunch of the athletes showed Trump love after their scraps, including Bo Nickal, who beat Val Woodburn by 1st round knockout.

After the KO, Bo climbed the Octagon fence and had a brief chat with DT.

Jalin Turner's corner also had a conversation with Donald ... with one of the lightweight contender's coaches asking him, "Mr. Trump, are you winning again? Are you winning again? Yes! Please! We need it!"

In between the fights, Trump also found time to hang with Israel Adesanya, "Suga" Sean O'Malley and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

Larry Nassar was reportedly stabbed multiple times while in prison over the weekend ... after he was involved in an altercation with another inmate.

The attack, according to the Associated Press, happened inside Florida's United States Penitentiary Coleman on Sunday.

The outlet reports the 59-year-old disgraced sports doc suffered wounds to his back and his chest ... though as of Monday, he was in stable condition. No further details surrounding the incident were released.

We've reached out to United States Penitentiary officials for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Nassar is currently serving decades behind bars ... after hundreds of female gymnasts -- including former Team USA stars Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber -- testified that he sexually abused them.

Nassar has been involved in at least one conflict with a fellow inmate before ... back in 2018, his attorney said he was assaulted just hours after he was released into general population at the United States Penitentiary in Tucson, AZ.

The incident actually led to his transfer to United States Penitentiary Coleman.

Story developing ...

"Elon, you need me on your team, brother!"

That's retired UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal's message to Elon Musk ... offering to train up the $250 billion man for his would-be scrap with fellow billionaire and social media rival, Mark Zuckerberg.

"Elon, if you're watching this, I mean, we all know you're a smart dude, man. You're going to want as many options, missiles, if you're going to war, right, you're going to want the snipers, you're going to want everything. Give your boy a shot, man! I can show you some techniques to deal with these jiu-jitsu guys that they don't like."

"I'm not going to be teaching all this arm bar stuff," Masvidal said, continuing ... "I'm just gonna show you some techniques to break someone's face, man."

And, let's be real ... there aren't many people who have more combat experience than Gamebred -- from the streets to the biggest arenas in the world -- and that's why Jorge believes he could help Elon.

Of course, we've seen Musk working out with legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor John Danaher and BJJ black belt (and great podcaster) Lex Fridman ... but Masvidal believes he can help in ways they may not be able to.

"All those guys, you mentioned are studs but none of those guys have 50 pro fights and all the amateur fights that I got, all the street fights that I got. So no offense to none of them, because they're all great at what they do. Elon, you need me on your team, brother! That's who you need on your team."

Although he admittedly is Team Elon, Jorge has no beef with Zuck (even says he's "done some great things in this world") ... he just connected with Musk on a different level.

"The reason why I love Elon so much, this dude's a patriot, man. He's just a dude that's for America, that understands how our rules work, and he's not even like naturally American, you know? And understands how well this country works and what makes this country work, that's why I'm cheering for Elon."

There's much more with Masvidal.

Jorge's Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA promotion has been incredibly successful. In fact, Masvidal inked two former UFC heavyweight champs, the legendary Fabricio Werdum and Junior dos Santos are rematching (they fought at UFC 90 in 2008!) on September 8 in Jacksonville!

Talk about unlikely allies ... UFC star Michael Chandler believes Conor McGregor is getting an unfair shake when it comes to his reputation as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter!

"I  think Conor's getting a little bit of a raw deal when it comes to how much he was there or wasn't there [with his team]," Chandler told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

If you haven't seen the show ... Conor and Michael are coaching opposite one another on TUF 31, and a decent amount of time has been spent on The Notorious being absent for certain team activities, including weigh-ins.

But, Chandler says that's not really fair to Conor.

"Showing up for the weigh-ins isn't that big of a deal and they kept asking me about it so obviously I kept talking about it. I don't think the results would be any different, to be honest with you."

FYI, Chandler's team (made up of former UFC fighters looking to make a return to the promotion) is 6-0 against McGregor's squad (made up of prospects).

It's somewhat surprising to see Michael defend Conor. Things got physical between the men on last week's episode of the show, resulting in McGregor shoving Chandler, causing Dana White to sprint into the Octagon (can't fight for free!).

Michael walked us through the dustup with Conor and gave us an update on where things stand with the fight negotiations between the men.

There's more -- we also talked to Mike about Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Some people like the fight, while others hate it. Count Mike in the group of people ready to grab their popcorn.

Alex Volkanovski says he's totally focused on defending his featherweight title against interim champ Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 ... but openly admits there's a fight he wants in the future -- a rematch with lightweight champ Islam Makhachev!

"Obviously I've got to go do my thing. I'm focused 100% on Yair, but obviously, I want that rematch," Volk told TMZ Sports.

"Then you've got guys like Ilia's [Topuria] name gets thrown out there, and whoever it is I'm gonna turn up cause I wanna be active, that's that. It's pretty simple with me. Ya know people aren't gonna be waiting long, but it just depends on who the UFC wants, but obviously I want that rematch."

Of course, Alex and Islam fought at UFC 284 in February, a fight AV lost by unanimous decision. However, that doesn't exactly tell the full story ... many fans felt Volkanovski actually won the fight, and should've been double champ.

First things first, Alex, who is a sizeable favorite (around -380), has to beat Yair if he wants to be double champ. On the other side of things is Rodriguez ... who won the interim title in a fight with Josh Emmett (also at UFC 284).

Yair, like Alex, badly wants this win ... and says he's ready to go to extreme lengths.

"I accept anything that comes with [the fight]. I understand the sport and more than being prepared to win this fight, I'm ready to f****** die, and that's one of the things you've got to be prepared for every time that you step in the cage," Rodriguez says.

"Many people go in there only thinking I'm winning, I'm winning. I go in there with many fears, but also I beat my fears every single day. So I'm ready to die."

There's more -- we also talked to the men scrapping in the co-main event, Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja, who are fighting for a third time.

Pantoja, the #2 ranked contender, beat the flyweight champion twice ... but those fights were years ago.

Moreno says he's out to prove ... a lot has happened since 2018.

Seems like Cardi B and Offset's latest public beef is buried ... after publicly going after each other over cheating rumors, they're gettin' close again, publicly, in Paris.

The married artists were all over each other outside the Balenciaga fashion show Wednesday, posing for the camera as a group of onlookers snapped some pics of the happy couple.

The crowd went nuts as the 2 stepped out, and Cardi was cheesing pretty hard while hand-in-hand with her boo -- a good sign things have died down from last week's public spat.

As we reported, she wasn't holding back on Offset after he posted -- then scrubbed -- a claim that she hooked up with another dude, calling him out on Twitter Spaces for the world to hear.

She denied the cheating rumors, and even said Offset would get beat with a bottle if he ever said that stuff to her face.

Safe to say the dust has settled -- especially with no bottle marks on Offset's face.

We covered the drama in a recent episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Jaron "Boots" Ennis will be watching the Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence super fight with a VERY close eye this month ... because he tells TMZ Sports he feels he should be the one who gets to take on the winner.

"I believe I'm the best option," the 30-0 Philly fighter said. "I feel like everybody wants to see me versus Spence or me versus Bud. I don't think they want to see nobody else fight them."

Of course, there's a long line of boxers who feel the same way ... but Ennis told us he "definitely" deserves the shot first.

The mega fight is slated to go down on July 29 in Las Vegas ... but even if Boots is in the running to get a taste of either boxer -- Spence and Crawford reportedly have agreed to a rematch clause that could mean they'll be fighting one more time in 2023 before they open things up to challengers.

But, Ennis sure seems willing to wait regardless ... telling us an eventual fight with the victor is his goal.

AEW star Anthony Bowens says the outpouring of support he's received following his viral "I'm gay" moment at Rampage last week has been incredible ... telling TMZ Sports he hopes it serves as inspiration for those who fear being themselves.

Bowens -- who came out in 2017 -- had fans going wild after making a joke about his sexuality in the ring in a response to Harley Cameron ... after she claimed she could tell the Acclaimed tag-team member was into her.

"Very, very serious question," Bowens responded to the Australian commentator. "Did you get kicked too many times in the head by a kangaroo when you were a kid?? Because I don't know if you can see my gear, lady ... I'm gay!!"

The whole crowd erupted in encouragement ... chanting "He's gay!!"

We spoke with Bowens about how special it was to be his true self inside the ring and get that sort of response from the fans ... and he said the whole experience was surreal.

"I wish I could go back and tell 17, 18, 19-year-old Anthony Bowens that everything would be okay, because I spent a lot of time, a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety of what my career would be if I ever came out," Bowens tells us.

"And to fast forward and to have that moment and to have that reaction I did -- I've been getting messages every single day from people all over the world, from other athletes thanking me just for simply saying it."

"People, a lot of times, either just insinuate it or maybe make it a joke -- I was like, screw it!! You just gotta say it sometimes."

Even though the exchange was silly, it is a major step in the right direction for the LGBTQ+ community ... and Bowens understands the gravity of the situation.

"I think it struck a chord with a lot of people and I couldn't be any more thrilled."