Diddy's sons were about ready to get into an all-out fistfight with Ray J at a recent Halloween party ... but put their plans on pause thanks to an unexpected hero.
Sources tell TMZ ... the rap mogul's 3 sons, Christian, Quincy, and Justin, got into a heated face-off with Ray J outside influencer Tara Electra's Unruly Agency Halloween bash in Los Angeles over the weekend.
We're told that when the party wrapped in the early hours, Ray J made his way to the parking lot along with his crew, Amber Rose, and manager David Weintraub ... but was confronted by Diddy's 3 sons.
Sources say the siblings surrounded the singer, as they were upset about some of the public comments Ray J has made about the Bad Boy Records founder amid his legal woes.
We're told things got heated between the men ... with the group getting in each other's faces and chest-bumping one another. Sources claim both Justin and Christian made it clear they wanted to fight.
The incident didn't escalate further than this, however ... Chris Brown, who witnessed everything going on from his car, rushed out and defused the situation with Ray's manager, David, by pulling Justin and Christian away.
We're told others also stepped in to mend the situation ... resulting in no injuries.
This wasn't the first time Diddy's sons confronted Ray J, either ... as we're told the kids approached him several times prior to discuss the singer's comments. We're told Christian, Quincy, and Justin tried fighting Ray J on 3 separate occasions in different settings.
We're told Ray J has always been open to having a conversation with Diddy's sons ... though, he was willing to fight the trio after they made disrespectful comments toward him.
Sources say Ray J still considers Diddy and his children family ... so, he refused to let himself get punked up by "little kids."
We've reached out to reps for Diddy's sons, Ray J and Chris Brown for comment ... so far, no word back.