For those of you who don't know, 65-year-old American actor Steven Seagal is an action movie star trained in the martial arts of Aikido, Karate, Judo, Kendo and Shitō-ryū. His career peaked in the 90's with films like Under Siege, Hard to Kill and Above the Law, where he pulled off some excellent fight scenes. But in recent years he's been attracting media attention for his unusually close relationship with Russian politicians. The action star went to Moscow in 2013 by invitation of President Vladimir Putin to visit a Russian martial arts and combat sport school. And here he is last year being offered homegrown vegetables from Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, one of Russia's closest allies: [[rumblewidget||https://rumble.com/embed/u9m1b.vdaxx/]] The world was quite surprised to learn that the action movie star had even been given Russian citizenship last year, where Putin personally handed Seagal the new passport himself. And now, he's shocked viewers of Good Morning Britain when talking about his views on recent political debates as well as his friendship with President Putin. The two are obviously close, I mean, just look at how he pronounces Putin's name: [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/thenoelmellor/status/912981841392685056]] The morning show hosts asked Seagal about his personal friendship with the controversial politician, as well as why he become a citizen of Russia last November. Seagal explained his decision at the time: “Well, I did give a statement at the time. My father was pure Russian. I have lots of relatives here.  “I think one thing that’s sort of not known is that there are millions and millions of people in America who have dual and multiple citizenship. I think the thing that makes it controversial is all the propaganda flying about Russia.” When asked if he'd had any direct dealings with Putin (Piers Morgan clearly didn't do his homework), Seagal responded "Well of course, many." Though Seagal said that his and Putin's friendship was not political, and that they “talk about martial arts, philosophies and people in dilemmas in life.” [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/GMB/status/912939470286196736]] They went on to talk about US politics and criticisms of Donald Trump's presidency. Seagal commented: “I think that we have a really unfortunate situation in the sense that even though he was democratically elected, there are so many people out there that don’t think that’s the case. We have a tonne of enemies within. "There are this whole group of leftover Obama-ites and people that feel they should overthrow Trump, and any decisions he makes, anything he tries to do, he gets blocked often from the enemies within, so it’s very difficult for him to do anything.” He also called the NFL kneeling protest – meant as direct resistance to something Trump had said – an act that was "outrageous", "a joke" and "disgusting". The morning show hosts drove the conversation further by saying that people have noticed how "complimentary" he is of Putin, who many believe helped "fix" the election for Trump. Seagal then just starts talking about espionage and how "we all spy on each other", before saying speculation about Putin's involvement in the US election is "stupid". He concludes by saying that everyone is being fed propaganda and that Russia and the US should be seen as great allies instead. People are understandably a bit startled by the exchange and Seagal's feisty opinions. But of course, the class clowns had something to say as well: [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Lou_LouD/status/912954693181169664]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/pugjoke/status/912952977375289344]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/pugjoke/status/912952977375289344]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/JonRichard/status/912955591701794816]] Some people think his somewhat aggressive comments in the interview are matched to a new look that is a little super-villain-esque. His look is strikingly different from his Under Siege days, but then again, it's been almost 30 years since. Despite everything, Seagal closed the interview by talking about the latest kung fu film he's working on.

George Foreman has given his hot take on athlete activism.

Speaking on a segment with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity earlier this week, the 72-year-old former boxing champion insisted that modern sporting events risked becoming too politicized to draw crowds.

Per HuffPost, the retired athlete seemed to express a belief that past acts of protest against the status quo had led to the terrorist attacks at the Munich Olympics in 1972, stating:

"No good has ever come out of it. I remember John Carlos and Tommie Smith. I don’t know how dedicated they were, but they put on a demonstration that’s still talked about.

"It was so great that the world saw it and they went down to Germany and killed those kids representing Israel."

He added: "That’s what demonstration will get you. It shouldn’t be in sports - should take it out. Let us go over there and have a good time and stay out of politics because it’s a dangerous thing."

A number of social media users have since reacted to Foreman's statement.

One person wrote: "I don’t understand what he’s talking about."

Another added: "Telling about the issues that Black Americans face in this country daily is not turning their back on America.

"Bringing to light police brutality in the Black community is not turning your back on America."

A third then wrote: "He named 5 of his kids after himself. That pretty much ends my interest in anything he has to say intellectually. [sic]"

While another added: "Says the guy who got his clock cleaned by the most politically iconic sports figure ever to walk the earth."

Foreman famously won a gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics the same year that Tommie Smith and John Carlos made black power gestures on the podium.

His statement comes after track and field runner Gwen Berry provoked outrage at her recent trial for the Olympic games when she appeared to turn away from the American flag during a rendition of the national anthem.

Berry's act was condemned by a number of critics, including Caitlyn Jenner and Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Sipa US

Charlize Theron has slammed Steven Seagal in a recent interview, asserting that she has no problems criticizing the action star as he's "not very nice to women".

Theron, 44, was appearing on Howard Stern's radio show to promote her upcoming action flick, The Old Guard, when she was asked how she prepares for fight scenes. Judging by her response, it's evident that she uses Seagal as an example of what not to do.

"At night I’ll go online to watch fighters or watch people fight and you always come across that odd Seagal video of him ‘fighting’ in Japan, but he really isn’t,” she said. “He’s just incredibly overweight and pushing people.”

The Academy Award-winning actress then added:

“He’s overweight and can barely fight … look it up, it’s ridiculous. He’s shoving people by the face, it’s a whole set up.”

The actress then proceeded to explain that she had  "no problem talking sh*t about” Seagal “because he’s not very nice to women … so, f**k you!"

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Several actresses in Hollywood have accused Seagal of sexual misconduct.

Back in 2017, Katherine Heigl claimed she was sexually harassed by Seagal when she was just 16 years.

The Grey's Anatomy star spoke about working with Seagal on Under Siege 2. On the last day of filming, Seagal reportedly said to the then-teenage actress, “You know Katie, I’ve got girlfriends your age," to which Heigl responded, "Isn’t that illegal?"

"They don’t seem to mind," Seagal allegedly replied.

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The Good Wife's Julianna Margulies alleged that Seagal once asked her to come to his hotel room to "rehearse" when she was 23. She claims that the actor shows her "his gun".

And Australian actress Portia De Rossi took to Twitter in 2017 to share a casting experience she had with Seagal. "My final audition for a Steven Segal movie took place in his office. He told me how important it was to have chemistry off-screen as he sat me down and unzipped his leather pants. I ran out and called my agent. Unfazed, she replied, ‘Well, I didn’t know if he was your type’," she wrote.

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Seagal has denied all allegations against him, and has not been charged.

The Notorious Conor McGregor, fresh off his fight with Floyd Mayweather, is probably the biggest name in all of MMA history, at least in the United States. In fighting period, he's more well-known than any boxer or martial artist. With such a big profile, people tend to start looking to you for cultural guidance. Perhaps it is misplaced. But now, McGregor is in hot water for defying that trust of cultural guidance, and instead rattling off homophobic slurs like an Irish sailor. Multiple sports publications have reported that Conor McGregor consoled a fellow fighter by condemning his opponent as, well, the f-word. According to Yahoo! Sports, McGregor had said: "Do you know what I'm saying? He was a f****t, and everyone knew he was a f****t..." It's reminiscent of famous YouTuber PewDiePie, with more viewers than most major cable networks, who said the n-word during what has been called a "heated gaming moment". Using the most offensive words possible is something people do when they are angry, whether it's right or wrong. Probably wrong. But McGregor's opponent, Floyd Mayweather, made similar gaffes recently. Maybe it's endemic to the fighting world? Mayweather had called McGregor a "f****t" once in the lead-up to their major fight, at a July press conference in England. Mayweather has also since defended Donald Trump's "grab them by the p***y" comments, making himself quite the anti-PC figure. But are we really surprised? I mean, come on, these guys beat the living sh*t out of each other for their job. They are not going to be polished speakers, or gentlemen. They are our modern-day gladiatorial, if we're okay with all the concussions and blood, why is the rough language associated with violence considered worse than the gladiatorial itself? I would never justify McGregor's comments, as they are of course absurd and out of line. But I don't think it's out-of-character for him to do this. Over the summer, he also caught heat for racially-motivated statements directed at Mayweather, such as saying "Dance for me boy", evoking stereotypes of black performance for the white gaze. Will these statements really make you lose interest in McGregor? Well, judging by his career, seemingly not. I also imagine that Mayweather's legacy and public image is pristine, despite literally being a domestic abuser. If beating your girlfriend means you can still be the champ, why should we dump McGregor over a slur that Mayweather has also said far more publicly in the past? Again, it seems pretty endemic to the spirit of fighting. So many fighters are all in a glass house on this one. But what do you think? Should McGregor be banned from the Octagon (very unlikely) for this slur? Or should the fans hold him responsible, and let him know that we don't find it okay? I prefer the latter. In other McGregor news, he's slated to fight soon in the upcoming future. If more comes of these slurs and his future career, we'll be sure to cover it.

He was never going to bow out gracefully, was he? It's been just over two months since Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather went head-to-head in the highest grossing pay-per-view boxing match of all time, and now the Irish fighter has called for a rematch, but with some changes. During a Q&A in Glasgow, McGregor said that while he is confident that he would beat Mayweather in a re-match under either fighting practice, his preference would for them to have an MMA fight. He also claimed that Mayweather had previously promised a rematch in the build-up to their fight, and that he said it would be under UFC rules. The Crumlin-born UFC two weight champion has said that he would like to fight Mayweather again, however rather than facing him in a boxing ring, McGregor would like to take on the American in a UFC octagon. Business Insider reports that he told the crowd: "What sickens me is that the little motherfucker is retired now. If I had another go with him, under boxing rules, I'd get that win. He had to change his whole approach. With those lessons I learned, with another go around, I'd get it. He's 50-0 and getting on, I'm not calling him out. I'll sit back. We'll see how he gets on with this round of money. Maybe I'll get another call. Originally he was saying an MMA bout next. That's what he said before the fight." "He did say an MMA fight. So if he wants to, let's f*cking do it. There's not a hope in hell... I'd like to see him come over to our side and have a knock. I earned their respect and put myself out there. Style over to my side and earn our respect now." As well as firing shots at Mayweather, The Notorious was also quick to pick out his choice for future opponents in UFC, with the fighter calling out his former sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi. The two fighters have history, with Malignaggi breaking the fighting code by revealing McGregor's biggest weakness ahead of his fight with Mayweather, something the Irishman hasn't forgotten about. "Paulie is talking enough shit, he's stuck for money, and looking for a fight," McGregor said. "He's talking about bitch, bringing bitch, well bring your bitch and fight in a real fight. That's where we're at... I'd like one of them to come over on our side. "He's a fucking rat of a thing. If he wants, look, fuck... I've got the UFC title to defend. But if that little fool is stuck for money, maybe we could get him in for an MMA bout." Despite the fact that neither fighter has responded to McGregor's challenges, it sounds like 2018 could have some seriously interesting fights on the horizon. I, for one, would love to see either Mayweather or Malignaggi go over to UFC and see how they get on. Although, it could be pretty embarrassing for them.