TMZ Sports - Page 50

Conor McGregor is getting ready to enter the UFC Octagon in what promises to be one of the biggest fights ever ... and he could draw some inspiration from this kid, who clearly drew inspiration from Conor.

Brice Gonzalez is amazing. The 5-year-old, with the help of his dad Randy, mimicked Conor after an earlier, 1st round K.O. against Dustin Poirier. The kid's attitude is spot on, and he's exceptional at memorizing his lines.

Randy has created a hugely successful comedy show with his son, which gets millions of views on social media. Randy, who served time in prison, was having a hard time finding a job. Then he came up with the idea of a comedy show, and it exploded.

Randy and Brice have gained a bunch of celeb followers, including Kevin Hart and Snoop.

"This is gonna be such a one-sided ridiculous ass-whoopin', it's not even gonna be funny."

That's Dana White pulling no punches on the upcoming Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul fight ... warning to the YouTube star straight-up, YOU'RE GOING TO GET HURT.

"It's gonna be bad," White explained ... "I'm open for -- and I don't dislike any one of these kids ... but if Floyd Mayweather really shows up and goes in and fights this kid, it's gonna be an ass-whoopin' like nobody has ever seen before."

25-year-old Logan is set to fight 43-year-old Floyd on Feb. 20th in an exhibition Pay-Per-View.

Remember, Floyd is 50-0 with wins over all-time greats like Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez.

Logan is 0-1 as a pro, after losing a split-decision fight to YouTube star KSI, back in 2019.

Logan has a clear size advantage over Mayweather -- Floyd is 5'8" and last fought at 150 pounds. Logan is 6'2", 200 pounds.

But, Dana says size won't matter once they step inside the ring.

"Logan's gonna find out what speed is. Speed is power! When you get hit with sh*t that you don't see coming and when a guy like Floyd Mayweather starts putting it on you -- it's not even gonna be a fight. It's gonna be ridiculous! It's gonna be the worst ass whoopin' you've ever seen."

More legal drama for Antonio Brown ... the Buccaneers star has been ordered to pay his rape accuser $100,000 after he allegedly violated a confidentiality agreement.

But, AB has already responded to the decision in new legal docs ... calling it all BS and asking for the ruling to be thrown out.

Here's the deal ... Brown was sued by Britney Taylor back in 2019 after she alleged he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions, including a violent rape in 2018.

After the lawsuit was filed, court docs showed Brown and Taylor had entered into a confidentiality agreement -- hoping it would help both sides in the process of settlement talks.

But, in new legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Taylor alleges Brown violated the agreement multiple times over the past year and half -- and she asked an independent arbitrator to award her some serious cash over it all.

In the docs, an arbitrator found Brown DID violate the agreement one time ... saying when the 32-year-old posted a screenshot of a direct message from a person talking to him about the case in 2019, it breached the agreement.

The arbitrator ordered Brown to pay Taylor $100K for the violation.

But, in the docs, Brown says he should NOT have to pay it ... claiming the arbitrator ignored the law in issuing the award. The docs show he's now asking for the ruling to be vacated.

LaVar Ball says his son, LaMelo, is pissed off about coming off the bench during his stellar rookie season ... telling TMZ Sports it's about damn time he gets his spot in the starting lineup.

The youngest Ball bro has easily been one of the best rookies so far in 2021 -- the #3 overall pick in the NBA Draft is averaging nearly 12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists through 14 games for the Charlotte Hornets.

We spoke with Papa Ball about Melo coming off the bench behind Devonte' Graham ... and he says while the 19-year-old isn't showing it on the outside, he's actually unhappy about the situation.

"My thing is he ain't happy with that, but he ain't go show that," Ball tells us. "If I train you to be the best and always been starting all your life -- here is what they don't get. My boys are not freakin' role players! They superstars! Let them do what they do!"

LaVar points out Melo could be held back due to Hornets coach James Borrego not having that -- oh, how should we say this -- Big Baller frame of mind.

"But, if your mentality ain't like that, guess what? It's hard to coach my boys and tap into the best because you don't have a killer mindset."

LaVar also talks about his other boys -- Lonzo and LiAngelo -- saying the brothers could still team up and dominate the NBA together ... and would even be able to beat the Brooklyn Nets big three.

Even Chiefs fans are gonna love this!!!

Here's Buffalo Bills superfan Victor Neilson celebrating his victory over cancer in the most Bills way possible ... BY SMASHING THROUGH A TABLE!!!

BILLS MAFIA 4 LIFE, BABY!!!

42-year-old Nelson (who works in restaurant food supply) had just wrapped up 5 months of "intense chemotherapy" for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. Nelson tells us he had a "baseball-size mass against my aorta."

So, after ringing the famous victory bell, Nelson took his celebration to another level!

Nelson strapped on his Bills helmet, his Tremaine Edmunds jersey and a pair of Zubaz pants -- and took out a folding table LIKE A CHAMPION!!

"Through all the prayers and support, I have prevailed," Nelson posted after the table-smashing.

I am" officially cancer-free. Thanks to all for the prayers and support. Couldn’t have done it without you. GO BILLS, BEAT THEM CHIEFS!!"

Check out all of the nurses, doctors and other staff on hand to help Vic celebrate -- it's awesome!

Nelson says he hopes the video will inspire others who are fighting cancer -- and now he's raising money for Vanderbilt Oncology in Nashville via his GoFundMe page.

Great news for Chiefs Kingdom ... Patrick Mahomes says he's been CLEARED to play in Sunday's AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills.

"Yeah I'm actually ... just got out of the protocol," Patrick told reporters on Friday.

"The week has just been a bunch of testing, a bunch of different things just to make sure that I'm good to go and there's no lingering effects or anything like that. But everything's been good, I went through what 3, or 4 different doctors have said. Everything's looked well and I'm out of it now."

Of course, Mahomes was knocked out of last week's playoff game against the Cleveland Browns following a shot to the head. He's been in the NFL's concussion protocol ever since.

Mahomes was replaced by veteran Chad Henne, who played pretty well filling in for Patrick against the Browns ... and the big question -- would Henne get the start against Buffalo?

But, Mahomes just addressed reporters on Friday afternoon and confirmed out of concussion protocol ... which means HE'S BAAAAAACK!!

Kansas City was a 3 point favorite going into the match up -- but now that Mahomes is cleared to return, it's possible the spread could widen even further.

As for the Buffalo Bills, led by QB Josh Allen, they've been preparing this week as if Mahomes would play.

If Tom Brady is going to beat Aaron Rodgers, he's gonna have to do it without Antonio Brown.

The Tampa Bay Bucs confirmed the superstar WR is OUT for Sunday's NFC Championship game against the Packers in Green Bay.

The 32-year-old has been nursing a knee injury he suffered in the 1st half of last week's playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.

AB barely played in the 2nd half of that game -- and sat out of practice on Thursday. In other words, it was a long shot he was going to play anyway.

Now, Tom will have to rely on his other weapons -- which include Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Scotty Miller, Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones and more.

Yeah, TB12 has a ton of weapons -- but worth noting Brown was Tom's top target in the final 5 games of the regular season.

The UFC just fired one of its top rising stars -- undefeated Ottman Azaitar -- after he allegedly committed one of the most INSANE safety violations we've ever heard.

Ottman -- who's 13-0 as a pro with some crazy highlight-reel knockouts -- allegedly stole a page out of a "Mission Impossible" movie to sneak an unapproved guest into the Fight Island area on Abu Dhabi, risking the health of EVERYONE there.

FYI, 30-year-old Ottman was scheduled to fight on the main card at "UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor" on Saturday night -- taking on 30-year-old Matt Frevola (8-1-1).

But, that fight was removed from the card on Friday due to a "health and safety violation."

So, what the hell happened?! Dana White explained to BT Sport ... and man, the allegation is bad.

"So [Ottman Azaitar] and his team cut off their wrist bands, gave 'em to somebody outside the bubble," White explained ... "I don't know how they even did it."

"That guy taped [the wristbands], showed up here [on Fight Island] with a bag, went into a room, shimmied across 4 balconies, went in [Ottman's] room, dropped the bag off, changed his clothes and then left."

WHAT?!!??!?!

Dana continues ...

"Now, when security tried to stop him, he wouldn't stop either way and yeah it's just bad."

Dana said he fired Ottman on the spot -- "He's gone. He's no longer a UFC fighter and he's not fighting [Saturday night]."

Wow.

The big question -- what was inside the mystery bag?!!?!? Our UFC sources say they have no clue at the moment. Guessing they're going to try and find out.

As we previously reported, the Fight Island area is incredibly secure -- with multiple COVID testing points and crazy security to keep everyone safe. One violation could compromise the entire thing.

Hank Aaron -- one of the greatest baseball players of all time -- has died. He was 86.

The Hall of Famer reportedly passed away Friday morning. We're working on the details.

Hammerin' Hank is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time -- he famously broke Babe Ruth's home run record of 714 in 1973.

During his legendary career, he made 25 All-Star teams and won the NL MVP in 1957.

Aaron made his MLB debut when he was only 20 -- launching a 23-year career that would go down in the record books.

He retired from playing in 1976 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1982. He's also in the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame and the team retired his #44 uniform.

In fact, he's such a legend in Atlanta ... the city's mayor said Friday his death is nothing short of devastating.

"While the world knew him as 'Hammering Hank Aaron' because of his incredible, record-setting baseball career," Keisha Lance Bottoms said, "he was a cornerstone of our village, graciously and freely joining Mrs. Aaron in giving their presence and resources toward making our city a better place."

Among his many career highlights, a World Series victory in 1957 -- the same year he won National League MVP. He also won 3 Gold Gloves, 2 NL batting titles and led the NL in home runs in 4 separate years.

Hank finished his career with an unreal 755 home runs -- a record that lasted decades until Barry Bonds broke it in 2007.

Aaron was a hero right up until the end of his life -- earlier this month, Hank and his wife Billye went to the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta to get their COVID vaccine shots in the hopes of inspiring other Black Americans to follow his lead.

Aaron started off in the Negro Leagues, signing with the Indianapolis Clowns in 1951. He played with the team for 3 months -- earning just $200 per month. He signed with the Atlanta Braves in 1952 and kicked around the minor leagues until 1954.

Superstars from sports, entertainment, politics and more are paying tribute to Aaron …

"Rest in Peace to American hero, icon, and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron," Magic Johnson said. "I still remember where I was back in the day when he set the record, at that time, to become the home run all time leader."

"While a legendary athlete, Hank Aaron was also an extraordinary businessman and paved the way for other athletes like me to successfully transition into business. Hank Aaron is on the Mount Rushmore for the greatest baseball players of all time! Rest In Peace my friend."

Added Bill Russell, "Heartbroken to see another true friend & pioneer has passed away. [Hank Aaron] was so much better than his reputation! His contributions were much more than just baseball. Jeannine & I send our prayers & deepest condolences to his wife & kids."

Legendary MLB slugger Frank Thomas also issued a statement on Twitter, writing, "I’m speechless! RIP to the greatest of all time Mr. Hank Aaron!! I’m just stunned. Hank was the standard of greatness for me. The one man who I acted like a kid around star struck always! He was the definition of class! God Bless you and your family!!"

Mike Trout added ... "You were and are an inspiration to be a better person on and off the field. We lost a true LEGEND of the game today... #RIPHankAaron 🙏🏼"

Cal Ripkin, Jr. shared his condolences, saying, "I’m saddened to learn of Hank’s passing. He was a giant in our game and inspired so many on and off the field."

"What he endured and how he persevered to surpass the all-time HR record, thought to be unbreakable, was remarkable. My thoughts are with his family and @Braves fans."

RIP

Coronavirus be damned -- 22,000 people will get to sit and watch Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay next month ... with 7,500 of those scheduled to be vaccinated health care workers.

The NFL made the announcement Friday ... saying they consulted with officials and experts throughout the country to ensure they can keep that many people safe despite the pandemic.

The Shield also laid out the safety guidelines fans must follow if they do get a seat at Raymond James Stadium ... saying masks, social distancing and "podded seating" will all be requirements.

NFL officials also say there will be "touchless in-stadium experiences at concessions, restrooms, and security checkpoints" to further help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

As for the health care workers part of it all ... the NFL is doing some REALLY awesome things there -- giving out 7,500 free tickets for those who have put their lives on the line for others in the pandemic.

In fact, league commish Roger Goodell surprised a group of nurses and front line hospital workers with invitations on a crashed video call Friday that was seriously awesome.

"We owe them our ongoing gratitude," Goodell said. "We hope in a small way that this initiative will inspire our country and recognize these true American heroes."

The league says most of the health care workers who have been invited to the big Feb. 7 game will come from the Tampa and central Florida area.

FYI -- the NFL says it played host to more than 1.2 million fans at its 116 games this season.

Shout out to our pal, JT The Brick, for first suggesting the idea to gift Super Bowl tickets to health care workers.

They played 11 seasons together -- so what's it like for Julian Edelman to watch his former Patriots QB Tom Brady ballin' out for the Tampa Bay Bucs??

"It's obviously, definitely weird."

The MVP of Super Bowl LIII opened up about his current relationship with TB12 on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast ... comparing it to a marriage.

"It’s kind of like a relationship, or a marriage, where you grew apart but you still love each other," Edelman says.

"You still may have a couple kids [read: championships]. We have 3 kids. So there’s still communication of what you guys are going through and how you’re doing but you both got your own lives that you have to keep on going towards and that's kind of how it's like."

Edelman says he still roots for Tom and his other former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski -- "I wanna see those guys do well. It's awesome seeing Gronk and Tommy doing well and playing and making big plays ... it's obviously, definitely weird, but it is what it is."

Edelman was also asked when he thinks 43-year-old Tom will hang up his cleats for good -- and spoiler alert, don't hold your breath.

"I don't know what his plan is, but knowing him -- it's all in [when] that little fire turns off in his little chest and I don’t think that things gonna be turning off here soon."

Edelman began his career with Tom Brady when he was selected by the Patriots in the 7th round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

The Tokyo Olympics will NOT need to be canceled -- at least not yet -- officials and organizers say the event is still set to go on despite a report indicating otherwise.

The Times of London reported on Thursday that the summer games, which had already been postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the pandemic, are in serious jeopardy of having the plug completely pulled.

In fact, according to the report, a source close to the situation said the reality of a cancellation is already being discussed among event organizers and officials.

"No one wants to be the first to say so but the consensus is that it's too difficult," the source said in the report. "Personally, I don't think it's going to happen."

But, Tokyo Olympics reps called BS on the report a short time after its publishing ... saying they have absolutely ZERO plans to cancel the event at this time.

"All our delivery partners including the national government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, the IOC and the IPC [International Paralympic Committee] are fully focused on hosting the games this summer," officials said in a statement.

"We hope that daily life can return to normal as soon as possible, and we will continue to make every effort to prepare for a safe and secure games."

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee echoed those sentminets in a statement of their own this week ... saying, "We have not received any information suggesting the Games will not happen as planned."

"And our focus remains on the health and preparedness of Team USA athletes ahead of the Games this summer."

Ex-MMA fighter Ralph Gracie -- a member of the legendary Gracie jiu-jitsu family -- has been sentenced to 6 months in jail Friday for smashing another fighter in the face at a 2018 event.

49-year-old Gracie -- son of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grandmaster Robson Gracie -- landed a cheap shot elbow strike on 5-time world champ Flavio Almeida at the 2018 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships in Anaheim during a disagreement in the crowd.

Almeida was knocked unconscious in the Dec. 2018 attack -- but Gracie continued to strike, kicking him in the head, according to prosecutors.

Almeida reportedly suffered serious injuries in the attack -- including seizures and broken teeth.

Gracie ultimately pled guilty to felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. The charge included an enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury. He was sentenced to 6 months in jail.

Gracie's attorney acknowledged the attack in a 2019 statement -- saying, "It is undisputed that my client, without lawful excuse or justification, struck the victim, knocking him to the ground and causing him injury."

"My client fully acknowledges that he should never have struck Mr. Almeida and he accepts full responsibility for doing so."

The attorney claimed Gracie felt "tremendous remorse'' for attacking Almeida, claiming they were longtime friends before the incident.

Gracie was 6-1 in his pro MMA career -- his last fight was a loss to Takanori Gomi at PRIDE Bushido 3 in 2004.

Charles Barkley says the 1-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant's death is hitting him pretty hard -- explaining, "It was like a death in my family."

"I’ve known Kobe his whole life" Barkley told "Ellen" on the episode that airs Friday ... "So, I've been around him for 30 years. So he was like part of my family."

Kobe -- along with 13-year-old daughter Gianna and 7 others -- passed away in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020, almost 1 year ago.

Barkley told Ellen the NBA is a tight-knit community where players and staff become really close over the years ... "And any time someone on the NBA dies, it's painful."

As for Kobe, "He was a great kid, he was obviously one of the greatest basketball players ever," Charles said ... "But, you know when people die young, that's what hurts me."

"If you get to be a certain age and die, if you had a great life [that's one thing] ... but when you die really young, it just really sucks. Especially for his wife and his kids."

Barkley also wanted to pay his respects to the other 7 people on the helicopter -- saying, "There are other families who lost loved ones and I want to give them my thoughts and prayers [on the 1 year anniversary of the crash]."

Here it is -- the very first footage of Lamar Odom training for his highly-anticipated celebrity boxing match ... and the dude looks like he's ready to go!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 41-year-old, 2-time NBA champion has inked a deal with Celebrity Boxing to step into the ring this summer at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

While LO's opponent hasn't been announced (yet), it hasn't stalled the dude's preparations ... teaming up with big-time trainer Xavier Biggs to help him prep for the fight.

In the footage -- obtained by TMZ Sports -- Odom is seen working on his jabs ... which may seem like standard workout stuff ... until you hear the sound he makes when his gloves hit the mitts.

FYI -- Biggs is the go-to guy for stars like Kevin Hart and Usher ... so whoever's going against the former Laker has their work cut out for them. After all, have you SEEN Kevin Hart lately?!

Of course, Odom is the first NBAer to take the ring since Nate Robinson got knocked out by YouTuber Jake Paul ... and we're assuming he's hoping it ends up better for the hooper this time around.

While Celebrity Boxing's Damon Feldman has yet to make Odom's opponent official, we're getting word it's a MAJOR household name ... but who knows, after seeing this footage??

Time to make some room in the binders, collectors ... Bernie Sanders is now getting a baseball card based on his 'fit at Wednesday's inauguration -- and it's pretty amazing!!

The guys at Topps just designed a piece based on the incredibly meme-able shot of Sanders at Joe Biden's historic event ... offering up the one-of-a-kind card for $9.99.

As part of the Topps Now program, collectors have until Jan. 28 to purchase the card ... and Topps will then print off however many were sold and send them out.

The beauty of it all for collectors? Topps says the Jan. 21 to Jan. 28 timeframe is the ONLY times in history they'll produce this card -- so it could make the thing super valuable down the road.

Unique spin on the hobby, right??

Sanders' iconic shot at POTUS' festivities won't just be memorialized in a card form, though ... he's also getting a bobblehead treatment!

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame unveiled Thursday they've created a piece based on Sanders' mask, jacket and gloves for $25 a pop!