TMZ.com Home

Nate Diaz is rooting for Khabib and Conor to BOTH lose at UFC 229 -- saying he already "slapped the sh*t out of both of 'em" ... and neither one deserves to be champ!

That said, Nate also believes Conor is the favorite to win ... because "Khabib is scared for his life."

Diaz says it simply comes down to fight style -- noting Khabib "fights like a scared little bitch" on the ground while Conor will stand up and trade blows like a beast.

"I think Conor has got a way better fight style."

Nate also says Khabib hasn't proven himself against any real quality opponents -- "That fool ain't fought nobody."

Diaz makes it clear he's not rooting for either guy -- he wants a double knockout, so they both lose.

The big question ... would Nate take a 3rd fight against Conor to settle the score once and for all?

"I ain't fighting no trilogy. He already got his ass whipped. He can fight everybody else. I got shit to do too."

Benicio Del Toro proved to us he really does have short-term memory problems when he's not acting.

We got the "Sicario" star at LAX and asked about his recent revelation that he has "hyper sensitive" memory when he's immersed in a role, and terrible recollection during his daily life.

It seems like he's playing along with our photog. But again, dude's a great actor, so you be the judge.

Gladys Knight was right ... Kelly Rowland IS the perfect person to play the legendary singer, and TMZ got the video and photos to prove it.

We've obtained the first images of Kelly playing Gladys in the new BET series, "American Soul" ... which chronicles the rise of "Soul Train" creator and iconic host, Don Cornelius. If you didn't know ... Gladys was one of the first singers booked on the hit show.

As you can see from this scene filmed last week in Atlanta ... the resemblance is uncanny -- Kelly's in 2 outfits for the scene she shot with Sinqua Walls, who's playing Don. The video's great too ... Kelly's on the piano with all eyes fixed on her as she delivers a soulful and breathtaking rendition of "Midnight Train to Georgia."

We caught her out Thursday night and she was all smiles when we brought up the iconic role. Talking about how she studied up for the part, she told us about what it's like to step into such big shoes -- but it sounds like she's not letting the nerves get to her.

It's no wonder Gladys gave her seal of approval back in 2016 when she said on Instagram, "It's no secret that I love my @kellyrowland So many people have said that Kelly would be the perfect person to star in my biopic. What do you think, #Knights?! #stunning #kellyrowland."

Lindsey Graham says President Trump might not be deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize just yet, but if he wins it anyway ... liberals are going to lose it.

We got the South Carolina Senator on Capitol Hill Thursday evening and asked about the Prez being a favorite for the honor ... Graham says he's done a lot to deserve it by fighting ISIS and taking on Iran, but needs a little more help from North Korea.

As for the libs, Sen. Graham thinks if 45 manages to nab the Nobel, they'll be so distraught they'll head for the nearest window ... and take the leap.

Lindsey also throws some shade at past Peace Prize winner Barack Obama ... and a little at George W. too.

Brett Kavanaugh seems to be walking back his emotional outbursts at last week's Senate hearing over the allegations made against him by Dr. Christine Ford ... and he really wants you to believe he'll be a fair Supreme Court Justice.

President Trump's SCOTUS nominee penned a letter for The Wall Street Journal Thursday, in which he insists he's a "pro-law judge" who will not be influenced by partisan politics or public pressure ... and will "always strive to be a team player" with the other Justices.

He also admits he got "very emotional" during his testimony -- more than he's ever been -- but insists it's not who he is. He explains his behavior by saying it was the result of "my overwhelming frustration at being wrongly accused" and "my deep distress at the unfairness of how this allegation has been handled."

Kavanaugh adds ... "I might have been too emotional at times. I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said. I hope everyone can understand that I was there as a son, husband and dad."

It seems like Trump's pick is trying to soften the blow with people who strongly oppose him being confirmed to the highest court in the U.S., which could happen this weekend.

Marco Rubio had a hard time getting his message out about Brett Kavanaugh while a mob of protesters gave him, and every other Senator, an earful.

We got the Florida Senator at the Capitol Building Thursday where thousands of protesters were giving Republicans hell for, as they see it ... brushing aside the FBI's new report, and hurtling toward a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation.

It's clear Rubio's on board with Kavanaugh -- he told us the FBI report shows there's no corroboration to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's allegation the judge sexually assaulted her at a party 36 years ago. However, he admitted he hasn't gone through the entire report yet.

Rubio says he makes decisions based on information. The extremely loud protesters behind him during this clip claim the Senators are NOT getting all the info because the FBI was handcuffed by the White House.

Natalie Pack -- who appeared on "America's Next Top Model" and went on to become Miss California -- claims she wasn't paid on time while working for Guess ... so now she wants BIG money.

According to a new suit obtained by TMZ ... Pack was booked by Guess for several short modeling gigs starting in October 2015 -- most of them being one-day shoots with her daily rate ranging from $600/day to $2,000 for the day.

Pack claims from when she started in 2015 to May 2018, she worked 48 jobs for Guess, but she was not paid within 30 days ... as is required by state labor laws.

According to the docs ... that triggers HUGE penalties for Guess -- totaling $1.265 MILLION -- and the model wants the company to fork it all over.

We reached out to Guess ... so far, no word back.

Steven Seagal was quick to shut down an interview after a reporter brought up a rape allegation made against the actor.

Seagal appeared on BBC's Newsnight Thursday and host Kirsty Wark brought up the #MeToo movement. Wark then says, "You've been very much caught up in all the allegations of sexual harassment, you had a rape allegation against you and I wonder how you deal with all that?"

Just as Wark wrapped her question, Seagal ripped out his earpiece, stood up and walked out of camera view.

Seagal was accused in March of raping a woman back in the 90's ... another woman claimed he had sexually assaulted her in 2002. Portia de Rossi claimed Seagal sat her down on a couch during a casting for one of his films and unzipped his pants, so she fled the room.

Seagal adamantly denied all claims.

Snoop Dogg's going full "Hamilton" with a brand new play -- his first time doing theater -- and he's telling a story very close to his heart that could take him all the way to Broadway.

We got the Doggfather Thursday on "TMZ Live" and he told us about his new stage production, "Redemption of a Dogg," in which he stars alongside Tamar Braxton. Snoop says the play is all about his life and struggles ... covering his rise to fame, his missteps and most importantly, his redemption.

The legend doesn't seem the least bit worried about making the jump from a rapper to a true Thespian. In fact, he's got big plans for the show which is debuting in Houston this week.

Sorry, Boston ... Johnny Damon's making it 100% clear -- he bleeds pinstripes now.

"New York's my team," Johnny tells TMZ Sports. "The Yankees, that's who I want to win."

Damon says he still does have at least SOME love in his heart for the Sox -- a team he broke a curse with and won a World Series within 2004.

But, when it comes to Boston-N.Y. in the ALDS -- he's got his Yanks cap firmly on.

"I think [the Yankees] upset them," Damon says.

So, why's Johnny -- who played 4 seasons in N.Y. after his 4 seasons in Boston -- picking sides??

Johnny sorta explains -- when he left Boston, contract talks created some drama. But, with the Yanks, it's been nothing but good vibes from them since retirement.

Plus ... it doesn't hurt that he spends a lot of time in N.Y. these days.

6:30 PM PT -- We got video of Amy while she was being detained, and she got a police escort ... to take a pee. She also says she's remaining hopeful about stopping Kavanaugh's confirmation, and isn't going to stop the fight.

Amy Schumer talks the talk and walks the walk when it comes to denouncing Brett Kavanaugh -- 'cause she just got arrested in D.C. with a bunch of other people protesting the imminent vote on his confirmation.

Amy and other protesters were shepherded by D.C. police Thursday inside the Senate office building on Capitol Hill, where an officer asked if she wanted to be arrested. Amy didn't hesitate ... she said yes while holding a "We Believe Anita Hill" sign.

She also had a green shirt on that seemed like it might be a play on Melania Trump's tone-deaf "I Really Don't Care" jacket.

Amy was later seen in a lineup against a wall, where she and others, including Emily Ratajkowski, were being detained. We don't know yet what she's been arrested for ... possibly disturbing the peace or trespassing.

The mass protests in D.C. are in reaction to the FBI concluding its investigation, launched after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified last week about her sexual misconduct allegation against Kavanaugh.

It appears what the FBI came back with hasn't swayed the vote of key Senators -- which means Kavanaugh is likely to be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

Louis C.K. couldn't look more relaxed and chill than he did Thursday in New York City as he laughed it up with a friend.

Louis and his friend were strolling when our photog asked him about his recent comeback gig at the famed Comedy Cellar in NY's Greenwich Village. Something about the question made him LOL on the spot.

We didn't exactly get an answer, but it's obvious he's in a great mood. As we reported, a few people in the audience were upset when Louis made his surprise appearance -- but, for the most part, he got a rousing applause.

This is the first time we've gotten him out and about since last year's sexual misconduct scandal, for which he apologized.

Conor McGregor just went off in his UFC 229 press conference -- vowing to destroy Khabib Nurmagomedov ... and claiming he'll be a billionaire by age 35!

Conor showed up almost 30 minutes late to the event in Las Vegas -- blaming crazy traffic. Khabib had left by the time McGregor showed up.

But, Conor didn't disappoint ... screaming about how much he hates Khabib, how great his whiskey tastes and how much money he expects to make.

Dana White had told us McGregor could make a Mayweather check ($100 mil) but Conor says the number will probably be closer to $50 mil.

Conor also accused Khabib's manager of being a terrorist who was pulled off a plane on Sept. 11, 2001 and detained by authorities. We're reaching to Khabib's camp for his side of the story.

Remember, Conor and Khabib HATE each other. When Conor threw that steel dolly at the bus in Brooklyn earlier this year, he was aiming for Khabib.

And, at the last press conference a few weeks ago, Conor called Khabib a "little rat, little weasel" ... "fanboy bitch" ... and "mad backwards c*nt."

Nurmagomedov promised to smash Conor's face in.

They'll finally get a chance to settle the beef once and for all on Saturday at UFC 229.

Who's ready?!

Ben Stein doubled down his support for Brett Kavanaugh ... saying the FBI's sexual assault investigation against him came up empty and it's time to drop it.

We got the 'Ferris Bueller' actor at LAX Thursday and he sang his fellow Yale alumnus' praises amid a new FBI report that reportedly concludes there is no corroboration to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's allegation Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party 36 years ago.

Remember ... Stein told us last month Ford's allegations are a "f***ing disgrace" and wasn't buying Ford's story. So, it's no surprise he's swinging hard for Kavanaugh with this weekend's Senate confirmation vote looming.

But, watch as our guy again goes head-to-head with Ben and tells him the FBI's investigation is incomplete because, among other things, it failed to interview Ford, Kavanaugh and several key former classmates.