TMZ Sports - Page 50

UFC star "Filthy" Tom Lawlor can now add wrestling manager to his resume ... and based on the footage of him training with his clients before the match -- the fighter is taking the gig very seriously.

Filthy appeared alongside a tag team called reDRagon at ROH Wrestling's pay per view "War of the Worlds" Saturday in New York ... during their match against The Young Bucks.

The fighter's tag team was victorious -- and we're told Lawlor is open to working with the company again in the future.

Watch your back Jimmy Hart.

Rex Ryan has come out swingin' in defense of his defensive coordinator -- insisting the Dennis Thurman he knows would NEVER slap a woman ... despite allegations to the contrary.

The New York Jets head coach addressed the media yesterday and immediately addressed the police report filed by a 28-year-old woman who claims Thurman slapped her at a Jersey bar.

“I know Dennis Thurman, and Dennis Thurman, the guy that I know, wouldn’t put his hands on anybody, let alone a woman. That’s the Dennis Thurman that I know.”

Ryan couched his defense ... by saying, "I wasn't there—I don't know ... but again, I'm confident that when everything comes out that people will start seeing the character of Dennis Thurman that I know."

He concluded ... "I think when all the facts come out about everything, I think that people will start to realize that it’ll come around that the guy that I’m describing, everybody else will see the same way I do. All right? Really I think that’s all I’m going to talk about, about this situation, but I know Dennis Thurman.”

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the accuser claims Thurman got aggressive when she turned down his advances and slapped her. She claims she wasn't injured, but filed the report to prevent future attacks.

Brazil will be crawling with hookers this summer -- well, more hookers than usual -- because whores from all over the world tell TMZ Sports they'll be heading south for the World Cup ... to work.

With an estimated 600,000 international soccer fans traveling to Brazil for the games, the hookers know it's a HUGE opportunity to make some easy cash ... especially since prostitution is legal in Brazil.

We spoke to sex workers from all over the USA who tell us they're excited for the trip -- ditto for a bunch of hookers we contacted in The Netherlands.

But if you're lookin' to bang a Canadian prostitute during the Cup, you might be out of luck -- so says a rep for "Sex Professionals of Canada" (a hooker advocacy group) who tells us the numbers simply don't add up for Canucks.

"It’s cost prohibitive [for Canadian girls]," the rep says ... "There’s too much competition to just go down and set up on the fly."

High school football star Marquise Bryant -- a running back who had committed to the University of South Florida -- was sentenced to 215 days in jail after pulling a gun on a cop ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, 18-year-old Bryant got into a fist fight with a police officer who had confronted him in a parking lot ... and was eventually taken down by a police dog.

Now, we've learned Bryant struck a plea deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead no contest to carrying a concealed weapon and violently resisting an officer -- and in exchange he was sentenced to 215 days in jail.

He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and got 2 years probation.

Wes Welker should do the right thing ... and the right thing is giving BACK money he didn't rightfully earn at the Kentucky Derby ... so says his former teammate Shaun Phillips.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Churchill Downs is asking Welker to pay back the $15k they accidentally overpaid him due to a machine malfunction at the track on May 3rd.

But Phillips -- who played with Welker on the Broncos last year -- says if he were in Welker's shoes, he would return the cash ASAP.

One of Shaun's friends has a different take on the situation -- and says he would keep the money -- but Shaun wouldn't budge in his position.

As far as the law is concerned, we spoke to a bunch of experts in gambling law in Kentucky and they all said the same thing ... Welker will probably have to pay the money back.

As far as Welker's concerned ... he told the track, "Get in line."

One of the 3 rabbis who blessed Kevin Durant before Game 6 says he begged God for the OKC star to have a great game ... because he didn't wanna be embarrassed if the blessing didn't work!

We spoke with Rabbi Illulian -- one-third of the "Triple Rabbi Blessing" Durant received at the Jewish Education Movement center in L.A. just hours before the Thunder took on the Clippers.

"I really prayed and I made a spiritual contact with my heart to Kevin," the Rabbi says.

But this is the best part -- "When I heard that [The Thunder] were losing by 16 points, I was a little disappointed ... I said, 'Hey God, don't embarrass me today!"

God came through. Kevin came through. Everyone was happy!

Except the Clippers.

Billy Bob Thornton is concerned about his St. Louis Cardinals ... telling us they're playing like crap lately ... and he knows why.

BBT is a die-hard Cards fan -- and even though they've won their past couple of games, Billy Bob knows they just haven't been playing good baseball lately.

Michael Sam's reality show is officially "on hold" -- after the linebacker's agent met with the Rams and realized it's a huge distraction that could seriously jeopardize his chances of making the team.

DUUUUHHHHHHHHH.

UFC superstar Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was robbed at gunpoint -- by 4 scumbags with shotguns -- during a recent trip to Brazil ... taking his car, cash and even his CLOTHES.

Rua's manager Eduardo Alonso told Brazilian media ... Rua was driving back to his hotel following a dinner with friends in Niteroi when he was stopped by 4 gun-toting bad guys.

"They took his clothes, money and his friend’s car," Alonso said ... "They said ‘I know who you are, you’re a fighter. Don’t try anything.' It was a sad situation."

"They took everything, even his shirt. He was shoeless and shirtless. Imagine a guy at his size asking for a ride in the middle of the night."

Alonso continued, "Nobody stopped to help him. He had to walk one mile to get to the police station. It was tense, but it’s all good now."

NY Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman is under investigation for allegedly SLAPPING a woman at a New Jersey restaurant earlier this week ... this according to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports ... and we obtained photos taken during the heated exchange.

They're 5'6" and 125 lbs ... but the WWE's Bella Twins are a helluva lot stronger than they look -- and they've got the numbers to back it up.

TMZ Sports shot Brie (white top) and Nikki (looooow top) out in NYC yesterday when we asked what kind of weight they're pushing around in the gym.

When it comes to deadlifting, Nikki's a beast -- dropping a number that's close to TWICE her own body weight.

It makes sense, considering her BF is John Cena -- who's known for being a beast himself in the gym.

8:44 AM PT -- Wes just responded to the story ... telling Churchill Downs if they want the money back, "Get in line!"

Welker made the comment on "The Dan Patrick Show" -- explaining that he heard about the overpayment, but didn't have any sense of what he should have been paid out at the time of the transaction.

"They could have underpaid us and we wouldn't have known."

Wes Welker left the Kentucky Derby with nearby $15,000 more than he should have ... thanks to a machine malfunction ... and now Churchill Downs is demanding he give the money back, stat ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Ex-NBA star Joe Smith -- the #1 overall pick in the '95 Draft -- is spittin' hot fire at Donald Sterling ... hitting the disgraced Clippers owner with a brand new rap verse ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

Ever since Smith called it quits from the NBA in 2011, he's been focusing on pursuing a rap career -- and even started his own label, Nova Unit Records. He's also got a rap name, "Joe Beast."

So, when we saw the former Lakers player out in L.A. yesterday -- he flexed his skills by droppin' a verse about the NBA's biggest villain ... complete with a dis involving the most famous sorcerer of all time ... and it's pretty damn awesome.

19 years after he enrolled as a freshman, NBA star Jason Terry FINALLY graduated from the University of Arizona ... and he's got the cap and gown to prove it!

Terry -- who was a general studies major during his initial 4 years in Tucson -- never got his degree before jumping to the NBA in 1999. But the 36-year-old has been taking classes in his spare time, and racked up the credits to finally get a diploma.

Terry went to his old stomping ground to participate in the graduation ceremony and tweeted, "Man 15yrs but through hard work, dedication,family support, and GODs blessing I am a College graduate."

Underneath his gown, Terry rocked the trademark UA high socks he wore during the school's championship run in 1997 -- saying, "Still superstitious."

FYI -- the average starting salary for a U of A grad is reportedly $48,400. Terry is slated to make $5.4 million next season.

Talk about a black eye for the football program ... Western Kentucky linebacker Nick Holt is sporting a big, fat shiner this morning after allegedly taking on 2 cops at a house party Wednesday morning ... and losing.

According to police, the 21-year-old was being drunk and rowdy at a house party when cops arrived -- and when officers asked him to leave, he went off ... threatening security guards and screaming at party guests.

But things REALLY got bad when Bowling Green police officers tried to take Holt into custody -- because cops say he not only resisted ... but THREW HIS BACK into one of the cops, knocking the officer into some nearby shrubs.

Another cop jumped into action and took the 6'1" linebacker to the ground face-first ... and he was eventually handcuffed. We're guessing the black eye was a result of the strong takedown.

Holt was hauled to a nearby station where he was booked for drunk in public, resisting arrest and second-degree disorderly conduct.