TMZ Sports - Page 50

UFC ref Herb Dean says he spoke with fellow ref "Big" John McCarthy after he was kicked in the Octagon by Roy "Big Country" Nelson ... and says there's a damn good reason he didn't fight back.

Nelson went after McCarthy after knocking out "Bigfoot" Silva at UFC Fight Night Brasilia on Saturday -- because he claimed the ref took too long to stop the fight.

FYI, Nelson and Silva are friends outside the Octagon -- and Nelson claimed McCarthy put Silva's health in danger by not stopping the fight as soon as he knocked him down.

But Dean says Nelson is just wrong on this one ... praising "Big" John for the way he handled the fight ... and explaining why he didn't explode on Nelson right after the incident.

For his part, Nelson says he has apologized to "Big" John.

The brother of MLB superstar Yu Darvish has been convicted of running a multi-million dollar gambling ring that centered around Major League Baseball games ... officials say.

Authorities in Japan say 27-year-old Sho Darvish was taking hundreds of bets on MLB games and pro baseball games in Japan back in 2015 ... and personally wagered around $2.2 million.

Investigators say Yu Darvish was NOT involved in the gambling ring -- and also note that the action was limited to a circle of friends and had no connection to organized crime.

Sho was sentenced to roughly 2 years in prison -- but the sentence was suspended for 5 years ... meaning if he keeps his nose clean and completes any other conditions ordered by the court, he won't serve time behind bars.

Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum ain't going to the scorecards -- he saw the debate as a TOTAL KNOCKOUT for Hillary Clinton.

Arum -- who worked with Muhammad Ali, Pacquiao, De La Hoya and more -- was excited about Hillary's performance while arriving to Craig's Monday night ... claiming Clinton smoked Trump.

"She showed what a phony he is," Arum said ... "She was brilliant, she's gonna make a great president."

Then again, Arum hates Trump so much -- he challenged him to a FIGHT earlier this year.

The biggest fight in women's MMA could actually happen -- because Dana White tells TMZ Sports ... Ronda Rousey "absolutely, positively" wants to fight Cris "Cyborg" Justino.

With Cyborg coming off ANOTHER dominating performance this weekend, we had to ask White if UFC's fastest rising superstar will finally get her wish ... a shot at Rousey.

Check out the clip ... White -- who was outside Stand Up NY -- says he's still gunning to get Ronda back in the Octagon this year -- and then focus on setting up the superfight with Cyborg.

The good news for Rousey fans -- "She's getting nasty again and her head's in the right place."

BONUS -- White is also a HUUUUUGE New England Patriots fan ... and gave his team all sorts of dap for crushing people without the use of Tom Brady.

The time Jose Fernandez and his friends spent in a popular Miami bar -- shortly before their boat wreck -- is now a focal point of the investigation into the Marlins star's death.

Former NFL star Greg Hardy was arrested for possession of COCAINE late Sunday night in Texas ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to the police report, Hardy was pulled over in a 2010 Dodge Challenger because he didn't use a turn signal.

With Les Miles gone and LSU in disarray ... Leonard Fournette has a choice to make -- sit out for the rest of the year or play and risk injury for no real shot at a championship.

We asked Herschel Walker what he thinks the LSU running back should do -- especially since Fournette is a projected 1st round pick with millions of dollars on the line.

Dak Prescott is good ... but Tony Romo is GREAT and Dallas will be even BETTER when he returns to the field ... so says Cowboys legend Drew Pearson.

TMZ Sports spoke to the Super Bowl XII champ who tells us why he doesn't think Romo should/will lose his starting job to the rookie ... despite the fact he's been playing pretty damn well.

"This organization really believes in Tony. What Dak is doing right now, Romo will do even better."

In fact, Pearson says Dak's impressive play is taking a huge weight off Romo's shoulders -- allowing him time to fully heal from his injury so he can return at 100%.

"When he gets back, he’ll get to prove he can perform at the same level or better than before his injury."

Can you root for a guy who's been accused of rape?

That's the question we asked NY Knicks superfan Michael Rapaport ... who will have to make that decision when Derrick Rose takes the court in October.

Rapaport gives a pretty thoughtful answer -- and explains why it's important for people to remember that Rose is supposed to be presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty in a court of law.

Chyna's business manager took control of the late pro wrestler's stuff -- including a $5,000 cello -- and there's no telling what he's doing with her other valuables ... so claims Chyna's mom.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... Chyna's mother is asking the court to give her power to handle her daughter's estate and to keep her "purported friend" and manager, Anthony Anzaldo, at bay.

Chyna's mom claims Anzaldo is meddling in her daughter's affairs with no right to do so. She also thinks Chyna should still be collecting royalties from over 100 film and TV credits, but Anzaldo is making it impossible for her to follow the money trail.

Mom not only wants to control the estate, but she's asking the court to block Anzaldo from "usurping" her efforts.

We reached out to Anzaldo ... so far, no word back.

LeBron James says he will NOT follow Colin Kaepernick's lead when it comes to the National Anthem ... and vows to STAND when "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played during the NBA season.

James was speaking with reporters at Cavs Media Day in Independence, OH when he explained his position.

"Me, standing for the national anthem is something I will do," James said ... "That's who I am. That's what I believe in."

"But that doesn't mean I don't respect and don't agree with what Colin Kaepernick is doing."

There's more ... check out the clip.

Super Bowl champ Deion Branch says Louisville's Lamar Jackson has a whole lot more football domination in his future ... as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Jackson continued to make the rest of the college football world look silly this past weekend ... racking up another 7 touchdowns as his squad put the hurt on Marshall.

We talked with Branch ... who was a star for the Cardinals when Jackson was in pre-school ... and he told us he's convinced NFL defenses will one day get the same treatment.

"I like what I see from him as a quarterback ... he's showing flashes ... there's a lot of potential there."

Branch ain't just spitballin' folks ... he told us he's talked to Jackson personally and thinks not only are the physical tools there ... but the mental makeup as well.

Joe Biden is ALL THE WAY ONBOARD THE WENTZ WAGON!!!

The Vice President just dished out some HUGE compliments to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz on Twitter ... essentially saying the rookie is gonna fly the bird gang all the way to the Super Bowl.

"Heart, guts, and poise from my guy, @CJ_Wentz. Huge game, strong start for the @Eagles. @DrBiden (Jill Biden) is pumped. It's our year."

Biden -- a huge Eagles fan -- had already bragged about Wentz to President Obama ... but that was before he beat up on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Been a pretty big day for Wentz ... Eagles head coach Doug Pederson compared him to Peyton Manning (when it comes to film study).

No doubt the guy's playing great ... but before we clear out a section in Canton, remember ... IT'S ONLY WEEK 3!

Derrick Rose is adamant he's NOT a rapist -- claiming, "I ain't do anything wrong" ... and says the upcoming trial will not be a distraction from his first NBA season with the Knicks.

Rose faced reporters at Knicks Media Day in NYC moments ago where he was asked straight-up if he's worried about his upcoming rape trial.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Rose and his friends are accused of gang raping a woman in her L.A. home back in 2013. The case is headed for trial later this year.

When asked how he's handling everything, Rose said ... "I’ve been handling it pretty good, I think. I really haven’t been thinking about it. I’m thinking about the team more than anything."

Rose was also asked about the LAPD investigation into the alleged incident -- to which he replied:

"I haven’t talked to anyone and this is my first time hearing about it. But once again, I’m not worried about it. I feel like I ain’t do anything wrong."

Jose Fernandez was at a popular Miami waterfront party spot at least 90 minutes before his fatal boat crash ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Multiple sources have told us ... Fernandez and at least one other person who was killed in the crash was at American Social Bar & Kitchen around 2 AM on Sunday morning.

When asked for specifics about what happened inside -- including whether alcohol was served to Jose or his friends -- a rep for the restaurant would only say, "Jose Fernandez was a guest at American Social."

The restaurant, which has a dock for boaters to pull up, is located a short distance from where the crash occurred. The boat was discovered by the coast guard at 3:30 AM. Investigators believe the boat was traveling at full speed when it crashed into a jetty.

Officials have said at this point it does not appear alcohol was a factor in the crash -- but it appears that statement was based on a lack of visual evidence such as liquor bottles or beer cans. Toxicology results are pending.

Not that Michael Jordan needs any more praise ... but here's some celebrity love -- courtesy of Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah was out in D.C. ... and now that we know she's a huge sports fan, we asked O if she thought MJ was truly the greatest of all-time.