TMZ Sports - Page 50

Dana White says he'd be "shocked" if Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz didn't fight for the third time ... despite the fact the UFC superstar from Stockton recently told us he plans to fight Dustin Poirier and then retire from MMA.

"We're still working on [the Diaz-Poirier] fight. That fight's not done yet. I wouldn't count out a Conor-Nate 3," White told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Dana added ... "Listen, I'd be shocked if that fight didn't happen again."

As you know, McGregor vs. Diaz I and II were INSANE ... from the trash talk leading up to the events to the knock-down-drag-out fights the men put on.

Nate was an underdog heading into the first fight in March 2016 ... but forced Conor to tap, submitting him with a rear-naked choke.

White set up an immediate rematch later that year ... and in August, the two UFC superstars faced off again. This time, McGregor beat Diaz via majority decision (two judges scored Conor the winner, the third scored the fight a draw).

It's been 5.5 years since the last fight, but almost everyone involved agreed it was just a matter of time before the trilogy fight went down.

That was until 36-year-old Diaz recently told us he has just one fight left on his UFC deal ... and he planned to fight Poirier.

Today might not be a terrible day for Rafael dos Anjos, after all ... 'cause although his UFC 272 opponent Rafael Fiziev is out of their bout after testing positive for COVID-19, Dana White tells us they're trying to find someone to fight RDA on 5 days notice.

37-year-old dos Anjos and 28-year-old Fiziev were the co-main event (Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington is the main event) ... but the fight was scrapped on Monday after RF tested positive for coronavirus.

So, when White joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV Show (airs weekdays on FS1), we asked if he was looking for a replacement, or whether there just simply wasn't enough time.

"We're working on getting him a new opponent. We'll keep that fight. We'll get him something," Dana says.

It's not the first time RDA vs. Fiziev has been canceled. In fact, the men were initially supposed to fight on February 19 at UFC Fight Night ... but the fight was scrapped because RF had "Visa issues," according to reports.

Now the question is ... who does RDA fight?

The former lightweight champ has been going back-and-forth online with Islam Makhachev ... but the fighter from Dagestan just beat Bobby Green on Saturday (albeit only took 98 seconds).

As for Fiziev ... he says he's crushed by the latest developments.

"I’m devastated to announce that I’m out of the fight. I had a great camp and was ready to put on the show, I flew all the way to Vegas from Thailand just to get sick with covid, for 3 days I’m in hotel bed with fever, bones pain and cough."

There's much more with Dana.

Serena Williams gave a touching tribute to her late friend, Virgil Abloh, after suiting up as a model in the Off-White fashion show at Paris Fashion Week ... saying, "I am so grateful to show love to my friend."

The fashion show marked the first of its kind since Abloh passed away in November ... and featured some of the biggest names and icons in the fashion industry.

Serena -- an icon in her own right -- was overjoyed at the experience, writing how incredible it was for her to participate in the largescale event.

"I had an unbelievable time walking in the @off____white show," Williams wrote on social media. "Virgil meant so much to me, and to walk in a collection that he was still apart of was something I could not miss."

"Thank you for the opportunity."

Supermodels Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber were among some of the other notable names to attend ... with musicians Rihanna and A$AP Rocky showing up as well.

As we previously reported, Virgil tragically died after privately battling cancer for several years. His death was felt throughout the fashion, sports, and entertainment industries.

The former artistic director for Louis Vuitton was synonymous with Off-White -- a brand he helped elevate to one of the fashion industry's powerhouse brands today.

Former Univ. of Kentucky men's basketball star Tyler Ulis was injured in a scary head-on crash this weekend ... but his dad says, thankfully, he is expected to make a full recovery.

James Ulis told the Lexington Herald-Leader on Monday that Tyler was driving from Detroit to Toledo on Saturday morning ... when a woman ran into Tyler while the two drivers were going roughly 70 MPH.

James said his son suffered a broken ankle in the crash as well as a cut on his leg and a scratch on his face ... but somehow avoided complete catastrophe.

"It was a tough one," James said, "but thank God he is alive."

James added that Tyler is expected to undergo surgery to repair his ankle on Wednesday .. but otherwise is "actually good considering what he went through."

Tyler's former coach with the Wildcats, John Calipari, tweeted his well-wishes to his ex-point guard following news of the accident ... saying, "We've been in touch, but let's send some prayers, #BBN. He's had some setbacks and fate has intervened a few different times."

"I'm here for you @tulis3 until the wheels fall off!!"

Tyler starred at UK for two seasons in 2014 and 2015, and earned consensus first-team All-American honors following the 2015 season. He went on to be picked by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft.

Art Briles will no longer serve on Hue Jackson's coaching staff at Grambling State ... this, after the hire was met with a ton of backlash.

The ex-Baylor head coach was set to become offensive coordinator for the Tigers next season ... his first big-time gig since getting canned over his involvement in alleged sexual assault coverups at Baylor from 2012-16.

Jackson defended the Briles hire in a statement Monday ... citing forgiveness, redemption and enlightenment as key factors to making the decision.

But, just hours later, Briles is out of the job again ... with Pete Thamel reporting the coach is no longer joining the staff.

This isn't the first time a team has quickly switched its decision on Briles -- the same thing happened with the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2017, when he was brought in to serve as assistant offensive head coach.

Briles went on to coach in Italy before taking a gig with Mount Vernon HS in Texas in 2019 ... earning a 20-6 record over 2 seasons.

Colton Underwood knows a thing or 2 about proposals, and now the former 'Bachelor' is finally engaged to be married.

Colton and his BF, Jordan C. Brown, made the big leap over the weekend in the scenic Cali town of Big Sur ... where they were celebrating CU's birthday.

He told People, "I'm extremely happy! 2021 was the most transformative year of my life. Starting 2022 off with my best friend, teammate and now fiancé is something I never thought was going to be possible."

Back in September, we saw Colton and Jordan hanging together on the beaches of Hawaii. They started dating earlier in the summer of 2021 ... fresh on the heels of Colton publicly coming out in April.

Following his Netflix documentary, "Coming Out Colton," he didn't consider himself on the market because he wasn't actively trying to date anyone. That changed when he met Jordan ... or as Colton said back then, "Since then I found somebody and I am very much in love."

On Colton's season of "The Bachelor," he made a little history ... as it was the first time there was no marriage proposal in the finale. He and Cassie Randolph, who made it to the finale, dated for a while before calling things off.

Cristiano Ronaldo put his body on full display on his Instagram page Monday -- showering with nothing more than his underwear on -- and nearly 1 MILLION people tuned in to watch it!

The soccer superstar shared it all on IG Live ... running water over his ripped body for several seconds before signing off with a salute and a kiss to the camera.

The stream was a quick one, but it was popular nonetheless ... as at one point during the broadcast, 670,000 people had eyes on him!!

As for why, well, just check out the vid ... there's not an ounce of fat on the 37-year-old's body, and it's clear as day he knows it.

It's a needed fun moment for Ronaldo, because the Manchester United striker has struggled in recent weeks.

He's only scored one time since the calendar turned to 2022 ... and soccer aficionados are beginning to worry the legend is beginning to decline for the first time in his career.

NHL officials say they're straight-up "concerned" for Russian players in their league ... explaining in a statement Monday that "they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position."

Amid a Russian invasion into Ukraine, Russian NHL players have faced hate from fans all over the globe ... with some of the league's top talent reportedly even receiving death threats.

In fact, the messages to players have gotten so bad, TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger reported Monday that the NHL has bulked up security across the league for players in wake of it all.

In its statement Monday, the NHL seemed to acknowledge the need for added protection ... saying, "We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL Clubs, and not on behalf of Russia."

The league did admonish Russia for its attack ... and said it is in the process of pausing its relationships with Russian business partners and suspending its Russian language media sites.

If Jake Paul really wants to step into the cage, there's another org. lining up to sign him ... 'cause Bellator president Scott Coker says they're 100% interested in bringing the Problem Child to MMA.

Of course, 25-year-old Paul has voiced his interest in taking on a new combat challenge after 10 fights in the ring ... and the Bellator prez recently said he'll be patiently waiting for when that day comes.

"If Jake Paul is serious and wants to do it, we’re here," Coker said via TalkSport. "We're already talking about [it]."

Now, Jake's had a pretty successful run in boxing so far ... with huge wins over former UFC stars like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. Coker says he's kept a close eye on Paul ... and the convos have already started in hopes of bringing the 5-0 fighter on board.

"You know, when I say talking about it, he’s with Showtime boxing and he did the fight with T-Wood," Coker added. "There’s dialogue."

"I think he wants to do 10 boxing fights and then come over to MMA."

This is now the second MMA promotion that has voiced interest in Paul -- as we previously reported ... Wiz Khalifa, who owns part of the Professional Fighters League, told us earlier this month he would love to add the YouTuber to its roster.

As for the UFC, well ... Dana White has made it crystal clear how he feels about Paul ... and the fighter's diss track about the honcho might have hurt his chances at landing a deal in the future.

Hulk Hogan is no longer married ... the WWE legend just announced he has divorced his 2nd wife, Jennifer McDaniel, and already has a new GF.

"Yo Maniacs just for the record, the Facebook and Instagram posts are of me and my girlfriend Sky, I am officially divorced, sorry I thought everyone already knew, love my Maniacs4Life," the 2x WWE Hall of Famer announced on social media on Monday.

According to court records obtained by TMZ Sports, Hulk filed for divorce in October 2021. As Hulk states, the divorce was finalized in 2021.

It's surprising news, but not totally out of the blue. We've been receiving tips for weeks that Hogan and another woman were seen around Clearwater, Florida -- hanging out at bars, doing karaoke together.

Hulk and Jennifer married in 2010 ... after Hogan split from his first wife, Linda Hogan.

Linda and Hulk's relationship ended in an ugly way ... with allegations of abuse being lobbed by Linda. Hulk adamantly denied ever hurting his ex-wife.

The World Cup field isn't set yet, but we now know of one superpower who won't be playing in the world's biggest sporting event, 'cause FIFA has banned Russia from participating after the country invaded Ukraine, killing soldiers and innocent people alike.

FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) -- the group that oversees the World Cup -- announced a decision Monday barring the country from playing in the WC, ending Russian soccer fans' hopes of cheering on their team when the tourney kicks off in Qatar in November.

FIFA and UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) released a statement announcing the new sanctions.

"FIFA and UEFA have today decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice," the statement read, in part.

The governing bodies ended with an optimistic hope for the future.

"Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”

32 teams ultimately qualify (31 countries plus the host nation) for the World Cup ... and Russia was not yet one of them. The Russian team was scheduled to compete in Europe in a few weeks, where they were going to vie for one of the last remaining openings.

But, due to Vladimir Putin's aggression -- ruthlessly attacking Ukraine from land, air, sea and Cyber -- FIFA stepped up and kicked them out ... for 2022, at least.

FIFA was initially criticized for failing to take a strong stance against Putin and the Russians. Over the weekend, they announced Russia could compete, but they wouldn't allow the Russian flag or anthem to be played.

It seems officials heard the anger from many soccer fans across the country ... thus the strong stance against Russia.

Vasyl Lomachenko -- arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet -- has joined the fight in his home country, taking up arms in Ukraine to help fend off Russia's invasion.

The 34-year-old former champ and two-time Olympic gold medalist was seen carrying an M16 while dressed in fatigues near his hometown over the weekend.

In a post on his Facebook page, reps for Lomachenko posted a picture of the fighter in his gear with the caption, "The Bilgorod-Dnistrovsky Battalion of Territorial Defense is formed and armed."

Lomachenko reportedly traveled to his home country shortly after Russia invaded last week ... joining former star boxers Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko in the fight.

"We are so proud of our boxers, our real champions in boxing and champions in this war," the president of WBC Ukraine, Mykola Kovalchuk, told ESPN. "We are proud to be Ukrainians."

Lomachenko -- who last fought in December against Richard Commey -- is just a couple months away from his next fight, which will reportedly be against George Kambosos in the beginning of the summer.

Naomi Osaka is the latest superstar to enter the world of Fortnite -- the tennis sensation is joining the game's Icon Series with her own custom outfits!!

The popular game made the big announcement this week ... saying the 24-year-old will have two unique looks available for purchase starting Thursday.

One of the outfits is a super badass tennis player -- the Naomi Osaka Outfit -- which fittingly comes with a tennis racket pickaxe.

The other 'fit is the Dark Priestess Naomi ... which also has a racket-esque feature to it, but is a much more fantasy look than sporty.

Osaka joins massive names like Neymar, LeBron James and Travis Scott ... who have all collabed with the battle royale game in the past.

Of course, Osaka is a diehard gamer ... so the new partnership is a no-brainer.

Derek Jeter's run as Miami Marlins CEO is over ... the MLB legend just announced he's quitting the gig over differences in "the vision for the future of the franchise."

Jeter and the team made the surprising announcement Monday morning ... with the ex-Yankees captain making it clear in a statement that he wanted out.

"Through hard work, trust and accountability, we transformed every aspect of the franchise, reshaping the workforce, and developing a long-term strategic plan for success," said Jeter, who took over the CEO role back in 2017.

"That said, the vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead. Now is the right time for me to step aside as a new season begins."

No word yet on who will replace Jeter or where he'll go next ... but the 47-year-old did say he would be giving up his four percent stake in the team.

The Marlins only made the playoffs once during Jeter's tenure as CEO ... losing in the NLDS to the Atlanta Braves in 2020. The team, though, does now have a promising young lineup and pitching rotation.

Shaquille O'Neal was a horrific teammate to rookies back in the day ... so says Gary Payton, who claims the Big Diesel used to pour his waste on guys who were using the bathroom.

Payton, who was Shaq's teammate for one year with the Lakers and then two years with the Heat in the 2000s, explained how the vile acts would go down during a recent interview with Vlad TV.

The Glove said Shaq would go to the bathroom in a bucket "for about a week" -- and then dump it on unsuspecting rookies who were in stalls.

"He would pour it on them," Payton said.

GP didn't identify which rookies were on the receiving end of the disgusting "prank" -- but he said he at least made an effort to get Shaq back for it all.

Payton explained he'd take the former NBA superstar's underwear from time to time, forcing him to "be free-ballin' all the time."

If you thought things couldn't get worse for the Los Angeles Lakers, here's proof they're still approaching rock bottom ... 'cause LeBron James is now firing back at fans for criticizing him mid-game -- appearing to tell them to "shut your ass up."

Bron and the Lakers were getting trounced by the Pelicans all Sunday night ... and Laker Nation was audibly disgusted by what they were seeing -- showering the team with boos throughout the game.

James took exception to one particular fan who apparently had some "advice" for the King ... prompting him to clap back as the game was still going on.

"Tell me one thing you know about basketball besides the ball going in," LeBron fired back at the guy ... much to the delight of the crowd nearby.

The video doesn't show how the fan reacted ... but LeBron went about the rest of his night, finishing with 32 points.

James' relationship with fans has been rocky recently -- remember, he had 2 Pacers fans escorted out for heckling him earlier this season.

But, LeBron wasn't the only Laker to respond to the fans trash-talking him on Sunday -- another fan captured a video of forward Trevor Ariza calling someone in the crowd a "bitch" repeatedly.

It appears the guy Ariza had been going back and forth with was ultimately kicked out of the game ... getting walked out by security shortly after the interaction.

Tension and frustration were understandably high -- the Lakers have looked lifeless coming out of the All-Star break ... dropping their first two games to the Clippers and Pels.

Even Lakers GM Jeanie Buss needed a break from watching her team ... as video circulated on social media of her leaving her seat as the team was down big, 78-53.

The Lakers ended up losing to the Pelicans, 123-95, dropping them to 27-33 on the season with just 22 games remaining.