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Justin Gaethje's gearing up for a title run, and the UFC star tells us he has the power to dethrone champ Islam Makhachev ... but he knows he has to earn the fight, and he's ready to run through Dustin Poirier to prove his worthiness!

34-year-old Gaethje, the #3 ranked UFC lightweight, joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where we talked about everything from who he wants next, to how he'd fare against the current champ, to how much longer he sees himself fighting, and Conor McGregor recently calling him "handicap" on Twitter.

On who Gaethje, who is coming off a dominating win over fellow contender Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 in March, wants next:

"I think that's the obvious choice, Dustin. He's sitting at number 2 right now, I gave the new guys a chance and I proved that I am elite, and I need to fight elite fighters to fight for a belt. I think Dustin's the obvious choice. I think the loser of Dariush and Oliveira is also an option, but outside of those two, I do not see an option."

FYI, Justin and Dustin fought back in 2018 ... a classic fight that Poirier won by fourth-round TKO.

Of course, Islam, who was just in battle with 145 lb. king Alex Volkanovski (Makhachev won by the thinnest margin), is the lightweight champ. We asked Justin how a fight between the men would look.

"I think [Islam is] a hard fight for anybody. Just create damage. I'd have to fight the perfect fight," Gaethje told us, adding he recognizes he wouldn't be on the Dagestani fighter's level when it comes to "submission grappling," but Justin believes with his power, he can shut anyone's lights out.

"I think I can knock him out. I think I can knock anybody out with the power that I possess."

We asked Gaethje, who lost by submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020 at UFC 254, to compare The Eagle and Makhachev.

"I think they're very similar. I think the biggest difference is Islam has been finished. He's lost a fight. He's been finished. So that aura of invincibility is there, but it's not based on 100% facts like Khabib has, I think that's the biggest factor, the biggest difference."

We also talked to Gaethje about retirement.

"I have never thought about retirement. I haven't thought about my life after retirement. I'm still working for the goal that I've set for myself," Justin said, explaining he has faith that his family and friends would tell him when it's time to hang up the gloves. But, that's likely years away, according to JG, who believes he's just hitting his stride as a fighter.

"34, I think we are at our peak, mentally, physically. Between 34 and 36, so I can't see myself being done in the next two years. I'd say two to four years is def a timeline that makes sense. I'm not trying to fight when I'm 40, and after 36, I don't see myself getting better."

Lastly, Conor recently tweeted "Justin Gaethje is a handicap," before deleting the message shortly after. We asked JG for his reaction.

"One of my best approaches in life is to make everybody think you're stupid and then go into a conversation or situation where you can take advantage of everybody feeling like that. It plays perfectly into my hands. I love when people think I'm handicapped or dumb -- that's not a guy, I don't believe I'll ever fight him."

Gaethje vs. McGregor is a fight fans clamored over for years ... but Justin says the guy simply doesn't want to step foot in The Octagon with him.

Before this athletic kid in his blue jeans turned into a professional athlete and actor, he was just swinging his baseball bat in the backyard, flexin' for the camera in West Newbury, Massachusetts and idolizing wrestling icon Hulk Hogan.

After a successful career in the wrestling ring, he took his handsome looks and muscular physique to the big screen ... working with Hollywood greats like Amy Schumer and Vin Diesel. He may have over 18 million followers on the 'gram, but you likely won't see any pics of himself on his page.

Need one more clue? WrestleMania 39!!!

Bam Margera was arrested after allegedly making a scene at a restaurant where his estranged wife and son were eating ... and cops say Bam was drunk in public.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police in Burbank got a call around 3:45 PM Wednesday for a disturbance at a Thai food restaurant, and when officers arrived they found the "Jackass" star arguing with a woman, with the dispute getting louder and louder.

Our sources say when police got to the restaurant, Bam was unable to take care of himself and was arrested and booked for misdemeanor public intoxication.

There's video on social media showing Bam at the restaurant, and he's clearly upset. The footage shows Margera walking in and out of the restaurant while cops look on.

At one point, in the clip posted to Instagram Live by comedian Evan Breen, you see Bam take a seat on a curb while he speaks to officers.

One witness told us Bam's estranged wife, Nikki, and his 5-year-old son, Phoenix, were also inside the restaurant ... but cops aren't saying if Nikki was the woman arguing with Bam.

TMZ broke the story, Nikki filed for legal separation from Bam back in February -- after she claims he didn't appear to be sober during a visit he was supposed to have with Phoenix.

We were also the first to report Bam's domestic violence arrest earlier this month after a woman claimed he kicked her.

Bam has vowed to be a more present father as of late, even getting Phoenix's name tattooed on his face.

The feds are investigating a large group of swimmers accused of harassing a pod of dolphins in Hawaii ... and the alleged violation is all on video.

Drone footage shows a big group of snorkelers swimming right behind a spinner dolphin pod in Hōnaunau Bay off the Big Island, the humans get super close to the marine mammals.

Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources announced Tuesday they were initiating cases against 33 swimmers, who the feds say "appear to be aggressively pursuing, corralling, and harassing the pod."

The state's DLNR says they alerted the snorkelers to the potential violation while they were still in the water, and then uniformed officers met the snorkelers when they were back on land ... with state and federal forces launching a joint investigation.

In case you didn't know, it's against federal law to swim within 50 yards of spinner dolphins in Hawaii's nearshore waters.

Los Angeles' controversial new "mansion tax" is about to kick in, forcing sellers to pay more money than ever before if their property sells for at least $5 million ... and Barbara Corcoran thinks it's a bad idea.

We got the "Shark Tank" star and real estate mogul Wednesday in NYC day and asked her about measure ULA, which goes into effect Saturday, and she told our photog it's "not good for the country."

The new law, which passed on the ballot back in November, slaps a 4% tax on homes selling for $5 million and up, and places a 5.5% tax on properties selling above $10 mil.

Barbara's prediction is the housing market will slow to a crawl ... with rich people choosing to buy homes in cities and states with friendly tax laws on the books, particularly down south.

The way Barbara sees it ... people, rich or not, hate paying extra taxes for buying or selling a house. She says it makes them feel like the government's taking advantage of them.

Remember, the selling point to voters who supported the tax was the money raised would fund affordable housing construction to alleviate L.A.'s unprecedented homeless crisis. Some predictions say the "mansion tax" will bring in $1 billion annually.

Barbara actually agrees with the sentiment of the tax -- she says the wealthy have an obligation to help people less fortunate -- but she thinks this tax is the wrong way to do it, because ultimately it will reduce L.A.'s tax base.

Damar Hamlin visited Capitol Hill to promote an important cause on Wednesday ... urging lawmakers to feature more AEDs in schools throughout the country -- less than three months after he suffered cardiac arrest and nearly died during a Monday Night Football game.

The Buffalo Bills safety encouraged politicians to support The Access to AEDs Act, a bill that promotes student access to defibrillation in elementary and secondary schools ... which has become a focus for Hamlin after he collapsed on the field in January.

"Sudden cardiac arrest happens to more than 7,000 kids under the age of 18 every year in our country," Hamlin said. "The majority of the kids impacted are student athletes. Research shows that 1 in every 300 youth has an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk."

"For schools that have AEDs, the survival rate for the children from sudden cardiac arrest is seven times higher. The Access to AEDs Act will help ensure that schools are just as prepared and trained to respond in a time of crisis as those on the sideline of an NFL game."

Of course, Hamlin has become a leading voice in AED and CPR awareness in the months following his medical emergency ... and even started his own "3 For Heart" campaign.

Hamlin spent some time with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who paid homage to the player by wearing a custom #3 Bills jersey ... which included a special signed message from Damar himself, which read, "Thank you for the love and support."

Angela White -- who's best known, to this point, as Blac Chyna -- is turning over a new leaf to set a good example for her little ones, and it's obvious the changes are way more than just cosmetic.

Angela joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to fill us in on how and why she decided to re-brand from her ex-stripper/reality TV and OnlyFans star persona ... to instead focus on motherhood, music and new business ventures.

She says her kids were a big reason for the change, and also ... she was just "sick and tired of being sick and tired." Angela says the turnaround started for her when she was Baptized last year on her birthday -- something that's helped her find peace in every aspect of her life.

Case in point, Angela says even her once bitter and litigious relationship with Rob Kardashian is much smoother now, as they happily share custody of 6-year-old Dream. She added there's no bad blood with the Kardashian clan as a whole.

You have to see how she says it, because she genuinely seems to have made a 180 from last year when she lost her defamation lawsuit against the Kardashians -- and she and Rob reached a settlement in the alleged revenge porn case.

Angela's transformation includes getting rid of face fillers, getting a breast reduction and even removing some tattoos. She also recently ditched her incredibly profitable OnlyFans account.

There's a new lady in Jake Paul's life -- the Problem Child was packing on the PDA with beautiful Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam while on a dinner date on Tuesday ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A witness at the venue tells us the 6-1 boxer and 24-year-old world champion were spotted getting cozy at LPM Restaurant in Miami ... and apparently kissing was on the menu, 'cause the two couldn't keep their lips off each other.

Our sources say 26-year-old Jake and Jutta met through Instagram late last year and began talking over the past couple months ... which evolved to spending a good amount of time together in Florida recently.

In fact, Jutta is slated to appear on the internet superstar's "B.S. With Jake Paul" podcast ... which she teased on social media earlier this week.

If you're not familiar with Leerdam, she's a superstar sprinter on the ice -- she won an Olympic silver medal in the women's 1000m race in Beijing in 2022, and has numerous world championships under her belt as well.

Jutta previously dated fellow speed skater Koen Verweij before splitting in August 2022 ... and Jake was famously tied to model Julia Rose until late last year as well.

It's unclear the current "status" of Jake and Jutta's relationship ... but they're both single, wildly successful and good-looking, so whatever it is -- it seems to be a great match!!!

Raquel Leviss' court-ordered protection from fellow "Vanderpump Rules" star Scheana Shay is officially no more ... the temporary restraining order's been officially dismissed.

Raquel was a no-show for court Wednesday for a hearing on the matter, so the judge made the decision to drop it. Scheana was there, ready to tell her side of the story, but it wasn't necessary given the fact Raquel didn't attend.

As we reported, Raquel announced at the "VPR" reunion she wasn't going to move forward with the restraining order -- even presenting dismissal docs -- Wednesday's court hearing made it official.

The dismissal closes the book on one aspect of the "Scandoval" affair. As we first told you, Raquel got a TRO three weeks ago ... claiming Scheana attacked her as soon as she found out Tom Sandoval was cheating on Ariana Madix with Raquel.

Scheana's camp has maintained she never really attacked Raquel in New York City, as Raquel alleges ... they say RL was simply hamming it up for the cameras during the reunion show taping.

The TRO also complicated the reunion  ... Raquel and Scheana were separated during last week's taping, with each reality star in her own trailer while the other was on set.

Meanwhile, Tom says he regrets cheating on Ariana ... but he's still with Raquel and they look very much like a couple.

If you're going to MLB Opening Day on Thursday ... ya better bring your appetite -- 'cause several teams are rollin' out some new food items for the season -- and most are absolutely massive!!

Nearly every club will kick off 2023 with new and intriguing menu options ... including the Texas Rangers -- who recently unveiled a two-foot-long burger that's topped with onion rings and chili called, "The Boomstick Burger."

Not to be outdone, the Miami Marlins showed this week they'll be offering a 34-inch "Cubano Gigante" -- a huge sandwich that features sliced ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and a secret sauce.

The New York Yankees, meanwhile, chose to honor Aaron Judge yet again with a food item ... after handing out the "62" bacon cheeseburger in last year's playoffs, they're now selling the "99 Burger," which comes with eight ounces of Wagyu beef. There is a caveat, though -- the team says it'll only sell 99 per game!!

The Rays and the White Sox are also hockin' some big dishes for their fans to consume -- Tampa's offering a half-pound pretzel dog, while Chicago's doling out a half-pound weiner called "The Champagne of Dogs."

There was a full moon during the Texas A&M vs. Texas baseball game on Tuesday ... when a shirtless field intruder decided to disrupt the contest and expose his ass cheeks for all to see!!!

The wild moment went down amid the Longhorns' 5-2 win over the Aggies in College Station ... when the dude -- wearing what appeared to be a Darth Maul/Star Wars mask and holding a "Longhorns Suck" sign -- made his way onto the grass and through the infield.

The streaker then dropped his sign and pulled his shorts below his waist for several seconds ... before making a mad dash for the outfield.

It's actually pretty impressive -- the intruder showed off his speed and endurance throughout the stunt ... and successfully hopped over the centerfield wall after several attempts.

Unfortunately for him, the fun was over right after he jumped the fence ... 'cause a cop was already waiting for his arrival.

The chaos ended with the intruder getting on his stomach and putting his hands behind his back. We've reached out to law enforcement for more information.

Guess the game was not all it was cracked up to be.

Jeremy Renner says he'd go through his horrific snowplow accident experience again, if it meant saving his family ... getting emotional while opening up for the first time about the January 1, near-fatal accident.

The "Hawkeye" actor is laying it all out there in a trailer for his April 6 interview with Diane Sawyer ... saying without a doubt his frightening ordeal is something he'd tackle again, explaining how the plow was coming straight for his nephew -- who also tells his story.

Jeremy's nephew says he believed his uncle was dead when he first saw him, lying in a pool of blood coming from his head. Diane goes on to list the shocking number of injuries J.R. suffered, with the actor saying he had no clue how he'd look coming out of all this.

He also starts to shed a few tears, recalling the time he told his family he was sorry in sign language.

BTW, Jeremy's in incredible shape just a few months after the freak accident -- the teaser also highlights his strong determination to get back on his feet as fast as possible.

As we reported, Jeremy was attempting to stop the Snowcat from hitting his nephew, but the emergency brake wasn't engaged according to the redacted police report ... resulting in the vehicle sliding and running him over.

Big celebrities are pitching in to help victims of the Nashville elementary school shooting ... by donating thousands of dollars.

GoFundMes have been set up for the families of the six people killed and others wounded in Monday's shooting ... including one for the Kinney family, whose 9-year-old son, William, was one of the three children murdered by 28-year-old Audrey Hale.

The Kinney family received a $2K donation from former Bears QB Jay Cutler, who lives in Nashville. Donations have been pouring in to benefit the Kinney family ... the fundraiser is already well past its $50K goal.

Former 'Bachelorette' star Kaitlyn Bristowe donated $1K to a campaign that goes to all six families as well as those wounded. Jena Sims, actress and wife of star golfer Brooks Koepka, also put $1K into the fund.

John Carter Cash, son of singer Johnny Cash, donated $2K.

A slew of stars have expressed their outrage over the massacre on social media ... demanding politicians strengthen gun safety laws.

Jonah Hill was in no chatty mood Tuesday night -- beelining it to his car after dinner ... and ignoring questions about Kanye West.

The actor was in the middle of a brisk walk as he left dinner at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, exiting by himself ... and getting ready to drive away by himself, but photogs were waiting for him outside and ready to flash and talk.

Check it out .... Jonah wasn't having any of it. The dude tells one of the paps to clear the way so he can get to his ride, and then he was asked about Ye.

The photog asked the obvious ... how do you feel about changing KW's POV on Jews -- something the controversial artist said this past weekend on social media. Remember, he insultingly attributed JH's performance in '21 Jump Street' for making him Jew-friendly again.

It would appear Jonah might agree with just about everyone else on the issue ... namely, it's utterly ridiculous -- and not even worthy of a discussion. That's what we can glean, anyway.

We will say this ... Jonah seemed to be somewhat in a good mood -- flashing a big smile as he left Giorgio, which is encouraging. As you may have heard ... the guy's been going through some mental health stuff lately.

The growth of AI technology is going too far too quickly and dangerously -- at least, according to tech giants Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak ... who've joined a huge group of leaders asking developers to temporarily call it quits.

Musk, Wozniak and more than 1,100 others in the technology industry all signed an open letter from Future of Life Institute ... calling out developers of AI software, because they might not be aware of the "catastrophic" risks that can come with it.

The concerned leaders call the rapid growth a "dangerous race," and they're asking labs to take a 6-month break to allow for further risk assessment on AI. They're also asking the government to intervene if developers refuse to pause.

The signees go on to point out that competing AI labs are pushing hard to develop the best version out there, and might not be aware of what could come from it ... with the eerie possibility that AI could soon no longer need human interference to make its own decisions.

Others standing with Musk and Wozniak are Andrew Yang, the co-founder of Pinterest, professors from across the nation, and loads of AI researchers.

Keep in mind, Elon co-founded the company OpenAI, which created ChatGPT ... one of the leading AI programs currently available to the public. So, if HE wants to slow down AI, it's gotta make you think.

Black Californians are owed upward of $800 billion due to decades of discriminatory and racist practices that set back generations -- so say experts in a formal suggestion.

Gov. Gavin Newsom spearheaded efforts, starting in 2020, to determine what African-Americans in the Golden State might stand to receive if Cali decides to pay reparations ... and this astronomical number is what a group of economists is spitting out.

There's a whole task force dedicated to this issue, BTW ... consisting of state lawmakers focused on 5 key areas -- the taking of property by the government, devaluation of Black-owned businesses, housing discrimination, mass incarceration/over-policing and general health.

Mind you, the economists here considered only 3 of these categories in coming up with the $800B figure -- leaving out property taken and the devaluation of businesses for now -- which means the final estimate could be much higher. In any case, the task force will hear this new total Wednesday and take it under consideration in a scheduled meeting.

Considering there are about 2,537,000 Black residents in California -- based on 2022 U.S. Census numbers -- that would translate to each getting about $315k, more or less. That number could be different, however, based on criteria for who receives reparations.

Those would include being a certain age (18), being a resident of CA for a certain amount of time and being a descendant of an enslaved person and/or freed Black people in the U.S. as of the 19th century ... among other benchmarks, the state of California could set.

Of course, opponents would cite the obvious in pushing back on this -- namely, California was never a slave state. Also, they say taxpayers shouldn't have to foot this kind of bill for practices that were in place a long time ago ... even though Newsom and co. say otherwise.

Now, whether the reparations suggested are actually enacted is a whole other ball game. The task force would need to agree on a final number, and then send it over to the state legislature ... where it would have to be drafted into a bill and passed in both chambers. After that, Newsom himself would have to sign it.