TMZ Sports - Page 50

Farrah Abraham will NOT strap on boxing gloves after all, and another reality TV star will be her replacement in the upcoming celebrity boxing match ... TMZ has learned.

Our sources say the ex-'Teen Mom' star stood her ground with the promoter, saying she'd been screwed out of freebies, and refused to show up to Saturday night's bout. So, we're told the fight organizer, Samantha Goldberg, decided to pull the plug ... and immediately signed "Mob Wives" star Natalie DiDonato to replace Farrah.

So, the new main event is Natalie taking on Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander on Nov. 10 in Atlantic City. Another 'Mob' star, Drita D'Avanzo, will be the referee. Bias??

TMZ broke the story, Farrah felt she had an agreement the promoter, Damon Feldman, would hook her up with free fight tickets, hotel rooms and flights for her friends and family. But, Feldman insisted he'd hooked up Farrah and her daughter -- first-class, no less -- and she was just making outlandish demands at the last minute.

Julian Edelman doesn't play for Pittsburgh ... but he's got the city's back regardless -- wearing a Jewish star hat Sunday, and saying last month's synagogue shootings were "uncalled for."

After the Patriots beat the Packers last night, the WR -- who is of Jewish heritage -- wore a Team Israel hat from the World Baseball Classic.

He told reporters he wanted to show the people affected by the anti-Semitic shootings inside the Tree of Life synagogue that they're in his thoughts.

"Just letting the people out in Pittsburgh know I'm thinking about them," Edelman said ... "I'm sending vibes and they're in our prayers. It was a big hit to the community, and it's uncalled for."

"So, I just let them know, 'Hey, I'm behind you and I'm supporting.'"

The Pittsburgh Steelers -- who played in Baltimore on Sunday -- held a moment of a silence for the victims before their win over the Ravens ... while star QB Ben Roethlisberger wore "Stronger Than Hate" cleats.

Members of the team also attended funeral services last week for two brothers, Cecil and David Rosenthal, killed in the tragedy.

Dave Chappelle says his Sundays are definitely NOT filled with football -- telling TMZ Sports he's off the NFL and it seems it all has to do with Colin Kaepernick.

We shot the comedian out on Sunday and asked if he'd be checking out the games later on -- but he told us the NFL ain't on his schedule ... and then took a knee, just like Colin.

Chappelle has publicly shown support for the QB -- he even wore a Kaepernick shirt to his big stand-up show at Radio City Music Hall in 2017.

In fact, he even touched on the kneeling demonstration during his comedy special on Netflix -- saying, "Took us 400 years to figure out as a people that white people's weakness the whole time was kneeling during their national anthem. That's a brittle spirit."

Unclear if Dave is actively protesting the NFL -- like other stars including Charlamagne Tha God -- but it seems the way league has treated Kaep is definitely a factor.

As for Kaepernick, he's still not in the league -- despite some teams being supremely desperate at the QB position -- and he believes he's being blackballed over the kneeling.

The Lakers got smoked by the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night -- and LeBron James didn't exactly play great -- but he was still in the mood to party afterward.

TMZ Sports spotted James on the way into Diddy's 49th birthday party at Ysabel in West Hollywood ... where he celebrated with the likes of LLCOOLJ, Kourtney Kardashian, Usher, Mary J Blige and Kid Capri.

James pulled up with his wife, Savannah, in his $340k Rolls Royce but made it clear he didn't wanna talk basketball.

Here's why ... Bron and the Lakers lost to the Raptors 121 to 107 ... and LeBron only put up 18 points (he didn't even play the 4th quarter).

In the locker room, Bron told reporters it felt like the team got "hit in the mouth" and they didn't have a response.

Too bad, because there were a TON of big stars who came out to see the Lakers at Staples Center including Denzel Washington, Odell Beckham, Brian Ortega, Canelo Alvarez, Chris Bosh and more.

Lakers don't play again until Wednesday ... so, why not go out and party?

Ray J understands better than anyone why Farrah Abraham's refusing to fight in a celebrity boxing match ... 'cause promoters can't keep their word in the money department.

We're told Ray J was all set to referee Farrah's fight with Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander, slated for November 10 in Atlantic City. Ray's team initially wanted $50k plus travel costs and security but the promoter, Damon Feldman, didn't have the cash, so Ray agreed to do it for $25k.

Problem is ... a few weeks ago Feldman and fight investor Samantha Goldberg came back to Ray and asked if he'd ref for less dough 'cause the event wasn't selling. Ray's manager, David Weintraub, wasn't having it ... saying no dice and pulling out of the event altogether.

Sounds like this was the beginning of the end. As we reported ... Farrah, also repped by Weintraub, pulled the plug on the event because she says the same promoter screwed her on the deal.

At $31.7 MILLION A YEAR ... Roger Goodell is actually UNDERPAID -- so says Dana White.

"That's the worst f***ing job in sports," White says of being the NFL's commish.

We got the UFC honcho out in NYC ... and asked about football's latest controversy -- a 49ers cheerleader taking a knee during the national anthem -- and that's when Dana said he's SUPER STOKED to not be in Goodell's shoes.

It's seemingly one headache to mitigate after another --- Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid, President Trump, and now, cheerleaders protesting -- and White seems so grateful that's not going down in the UFC.

"Worst job in sports," Dana says ... "They're not paying that guy enough money."

As for how Dana would handle it if it did happen in his league ... he says it wouldn't.

"We don't do the national anthem. So they can kneel all they want."

BTW ... Dana says he wishes NFL players would find a different way to protest, but added, "At the end of the day, it's a free country. You can do whatever you want."

Floyd Mayweather has signed a deal to fight on New Year's Eve in Japan -- and it might be an MMA match -- but, it ain't against Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Just like TMZ Sports told you would happen ... the 41-year-old boxing superstar announced he'll be fighting at RIZIN 14 on Dec 31, against an undefeated 20-year-old kickboxer named Tenshin Nasukawa.

We broke the story ... Floyd was in talks to get a fight done in Asia back in September. The plan is to get 2 fights under his belt ... a tune-up fight and then a bigger opponent, someone like Manny Pacquiao.

Floyd says he's still working with the promotion to decide on whether it will be boxing rules, kickboxing rules, MMA rules, etc.

Floyd says the fighting rules will be sorted out in the coming weeks. Floyd also says the two sides are still figuring out what weight the fight will be at.

Floyd held a press conference in Japan late Sunday night -- Floyd did not say how much money he expects to make for the fight.

As for Tenshin, RIZIN says he's 20-years-old and has more than 30 fights under his belt. His kickboxing record is 27-0.

The fight will go down at Saitama Super Arena -- the 3rd largest indoor arena in the world. It seats around 36,500 people.

As we previously reported, Floyd has had some MMA training in the past -- and UFC champ Tyron Woodley has offered to work with him because he believes Mayweather can really win.

Floyd says he chose to have this fight in Japan because he loves the country and the people.

As for his opponent, Floyd says the guy is in great shape -- "very young, very fast" -- and he's impressed with Tenshin's physique. Says the guy looks like a serious gym rat.

Tenshin says Floyd is taller than he looks and he believes he'll be able to "hit him" when they fight.

Floyd is 50-0 as a pro boxer -- with his last victory coming over Conor McGregor.

Mayweather has recently told us he's been itching to fight again and predicted his next bout would be a 9-figure boxing match against Khabib. Now that he's inked this deal, seems the Khabib fight will be on the backburner ... at least for now.

"I'm very happy to be back in Tokyo," Mayweather told the media ... "I look forward to coming back more often."

Move over, Floyd ... GGG says HE wants in on fighting UFC stars -- telling TMZ Sports he'll fight BOTH Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov!!!!

The MMA-boxing crossover fights are all the rage these days, after Conor-Mayweather RAKED IN cash ... and now everybody wants in on the action.

Nate Diaz called out Canelo after Alvarez signed his blockbuster $365 MILLION dollars ... and Tyron Woodley told us he's down to step in the boxing ring too.

So, will a Gennady Golovkin vs. MMA star fight actually happen? Maybe, maybe not.

We will say this ... Dana White says he met with Floyd Mayweather's camp about a possible MMA fight with Khabib -- which is how things got cooking with Conor McGregor.

The issue ... Floyd told us he would only take a boxing match. Dana is adamant it can only happen in the Octagon.

Terrell Owens says the Houston Texans just got WAY better after trading for Demaryius Thomas ... telling TMZ Sports the whole city should be jacked up about the move!!!

We got T.O. out at LAX earlier this week and actually broke the trade news to the Hall of Famer ... who says the Texans getting D.T. from the Broncos for a 4th-round pick is HUGE.

"That's a big blockbuster trade right there," Owens tells says.

So, why is he so fired up about the deal for Houston??

"What that does is it really rejuvenates, it brings life to that locker room."

"It brings some excitement, obviously, to the city of Houston, and I'm sure Deshaun Watson is obviously excited to have someone of that caliber."

Khabib's manager tells TMZ Sports if a fight with Floyd Mayweather goes down ... it's gotta be in the boxing ring -- 'cause the UFC star would end up behind bars if the two fought MMA!!

"An MMA fight, I don't think any state athletic commission should allow that," Ali Abdelaziz tells us ... "It would be illegal. It would be voluntary manslaughter."

Of course ... a fight between Nurmagomedov and Floyd has been rumored for weeks -- with Ali telling us he's actually had conversations with Money and his team about a possible tilt.

But, Dana White told us earlier this week, if the two do square up -- it's gotta be MMA ... and that's something Ali says is a horrible idea for BOTH Floyd and Khabib.

Instead ... Ali seems much more open to the idea of a boxing match -- and says Khabib could easily win that too -- without going to jail for murder.

"Khabib is wide. When Khabib is boxing him, he will cover him. He will put his body on him, make him tired. Carry the weight and get him tired. I think 100 percent [Khabib can win]."

The problem? Khabib's manager tells us he thinks Floyd wants no part of the match -- saying Mayweather's all talk.

"I think Floyd just wants to keep his name relevant. He's 57 years old. He's almost 60 ... He can't do nothing to Khabib."

Still ... Khabib clearly wants it -- writing on his Instagram Friday, "Where are you? @floydmayweather #27vs50."

UFC badass Michelle Waterson tells TMZ Sports ... Dana White should take a page outta Vince McMahon's playbook and put together an all-female fight card!!!

"The girls can definitely hold it down," The Karate Hottie says.

Of course, the WWE just wrapped up its first-ever all-women pay-per-view event ... and it was a big-time success. Ronda Rousey said she hopes it's a game changer for all pro sports.

So, when we got Waterson out in NYC this week -- we had to ask ... could the UFC do the same??

"If they did an all-female card, that would be amazing and we could definitely hold it down. Something definitely to think of for the future."

Karate Hottie even tells us she's got the perfect headliner for the night -- HERSELF!!!

There's enough talent in the UFC's women's division for sure -- with superstars like Cris Cyborg, Amanda Nunes, Rose Namajunas, Holly Holm and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

As for Dana, he once said he'd never let women fight in the UFC -- but admits he was super wrong about that ... and now, the women are KILLING it.

Kendall Jenner and Ben Simmons -- Round 2?!?!?

Sure seems like it, because the two got together for some private 1-on-1 time after the 76ers played the Clippers in Philadelphia this week ... and we've got the video.

Remember, Kendall and Ben broke things off in September after she was spotted kissing Anwar Hadid in a nightclub ... despite being in a relationship with Simmons for months.

It appeared the two had moved on -- until Thursday night, when Kendall showed up at Ben's game at Wells Fargo Center. Witnesses say Kendall had a private suite and tons of security.

After the game, security cleared an exit route for her, so she could slyly meet up with Simmons in the player parking lot after the game without anyone seeing.

But, there were fans who could catch the action from up above in the arena -- and you can see in the video Ben was waiting for Kendall with a super clean sprinter van -- and only he and Kendall get inside.

So, the question ... reconciling? Thinking about reconciling? Or, just one fun night in Philly?

Here it is ... this is what Justin Turner's face looks like without his glorious red beard.

Drink it in.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star was grubbin' with his wife Kourtney Turner at Vivian’s Millennium Cafe in Studio City on Friday afternoon (that place is delicious, BTW) ... and he was basically unrecognizable.

It's kinda weird, right?

Of course, the Dodgers are still reeling from that World Series loss to the Boston Red Sox ... and maybe JT felt like it was time to change things up a bit.

Turner had toyed with the idea of losing his face-warmer last year -- but only if the Dodgers won the World Series. They didn't, so he didn't.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are already putting the pieces together to try and make another run in 2019 -- resigning Clayton Kershaw to a 3-year $93 million contract.

Plus, L.A. also resigned David Freese -- and they're working on deals with pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and Yasmani Grandal.

So ... how long will it take for Turner to grow his beard back?

The time is NOW for LSU to end its 7-year-long losing streak to Alabama ... so says a former LSU great, who says the Tigers have a real chance -- maybe their best chance -- to do it Saturday night.

TMZ Sports spoke to Glenn Dorsey -- a 2-time first team All-American for the Tigers -- and asked him if his former team, who are 13 point underdogs AT HOME, have any chance to beat the #1 ranked Tide.

"I think LSU gonna get it, man. If there was ever a chance for somebody to beat this mighty Alabama team, it'd be now, and in Death Valley."

LSU hasn't beaten the boys from Tuscaloosa since 2011 ... but Dorsey says he sees something different in THIS team, something he thinks makes victory a real possibility.

"Just look at our record, look at the teams we've beat, we've been on the road, played tough games. We beat a REALLY good Georgia team too, man. I'm liking what the quarterback position is doing, the defense is balling out."

What scares Glenn about Bama? It all has to do with a guy he knows really, really well, his former coach at LSU ... Nick Saban.

"Honestly the most thing I'm concerned about when I look at that Alabama team is their coach, because I played for him too, and I know he's leaving no stone unturned, he's gonna have them ready."

UFC star Israel Adesanya is such a big anime freak, he got an INSANE stomach tattoo inspired by his favorite shows ... and he's giving TMZ Sports the breakdown!!

Adesanya -- whose nickname "The Style Bender" comes from the popular Nickelodeon series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" -- says his motivation comes from the characters in the uber-popular "Naruto" and 'Avatar.'

You can see part of Israel's stomach tat is inspired by Naruto's stomach tat from the show.

If you have no idea what the hell any of this means, click here and here and here.

Adesanya has a BUNCH of different cartoon tattoos -- he even has Deadpool!! -- and, together, they make up one unique and interesting collection.

Derrick Lewis is fighting Daniel Cormier at MSG for the UFC heavyweight championship ... but it wouldn't have been possible if he didn't spend over 3 years in prison.

"I think about my past and stuff like that," Lewis tells TMZ Sports.

"I believe that if I didn't go through stuff that I went through in my past, I wouldn't be as successful like I am now here today."

Back when he was in college, Lewis was sent to prison for 3 and a half years after violating probation stemming from a case where he beat the hell out of a Ku Klux Klan member who had a shotgun.

After prison, Lewis got work as a tow truck driver ... before being convinced to take up MMA.

Saturday night, he's fighting to become the baddest man on the planet.

"I'm an optimistic guy. But, I never imagined this was possible," Lewis told us.