TMZ Sports - Page 50

Derrick Lewis says he's heard all the trash talk; Greg Hardy has been saying about him -- and now he's ready finally settle their beef in the octagon ... with one HUGE caveat.

Hardy is fighting Alexander Volkov in Russia next weekend -- his first fight against a ranked opponent. When we spoke with Greg about it, he told us if Derrick "Pillow Hands" Lewis could knock out AV, he'll be able to do it too.

Hardy also called Lewis "soft."

Obviously, Lewis wasn't amused with Greg's insults -- and fired back ... calling him a woman beater and mocked him for using an inhaler during his last fight.

"I'm guessing he doesn't have that much oxygen in his head," Lewis said.

But, then he issued this challenge ...

"If he can get through Volkov, which I don't think he would, then for sure I would like to fight him next."

Derrick says he's 100% confident he'd smash Hardy in the Octagon and win by knockout.

But, first Lewis has a big fight at UFC 244 this weekend -- taking on Blagoy Ivanov, the #8 ranked heavyweight.

Trent Williams says Washington Redskins doctors misdiagnosed his cancer more than FIVE YEARS ago ... and the 7-time Pro Bowl left tackle says it nearly cost him his life.

The 31-year-old -- who held out from the team earlier this season -- returned to the Redskins this week ... and in his first meeting with reporters, he made the stunning revelation.

Williams claims back in 2013, he approached team doctors about a growth on his head ... but says after they told him it was a benign cyst and nothing to worry about, he essentially ignored it.

But, Williams says the tumor kept on growing ... and when he finally went to have it checked out by independent doctors this year -- they told him it was a serious form of cancer.

"[They] told me it was DFSP," Williams said, referring to Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans. "That's what the cancer is called. It's a very rare soft tissue cancer."

Williams said the form of cancer was so serious, "I almost lost my life" ... and added, "I was lucky."

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive lineman said he needed multiple surgeries -- including one where surgeons extracted the tumor from his skull -- to fix the issue.

Williams says other than some lingering effects on his scalp due to the surgeries, he's relatively fine now ... but he says he's having some serious difficulties trusting the Redskins.

Williams says the alleged misdiagnosis from team doctors is the reason he's been away from the 'Skins this season ... and he didn't seem sure if he'd ever play for the team again.

"Seriously, I almost lost my life," Williams said. "You're 30, coming off your seventh straight Pro Bowl and a doctor tells you to get your affairs in order."

"It's not going to sit well with you. And, it still doesn't."

Historic moment at the "Crown Jewel" in Saudi Arabia ... where WWE's very FIRST women's match just went down -- and the ladies got a HUGE ovation from the massive crowd.

Lacey Evans and Natalya were electric as they walked to the ring -- men, women and children were standing and applauding, taking pics and going crazy the whole time.

After she got in the ring, Natalya was choking back tears -- clearly emotional about the moment.

During the match, the crowd even busted out a "This Is Awesome" chant -- pretty cool, right???

As far as the match went, Natalya emerged victorious ... but afterward, both were treated like heroes by the fans, who couldn't wait to take selfies and high-five the wrestlers.

As we previously reported, both women wrestled in special outfits that covered up most of their bodies out of respect for the Saudi Arabian culture.

Stephanie McMahon told us they took extra precautions to make sure to show respect to the Saudi people.

Wanna see grown-ass college football players cower in fear over a harmless Halloween prank??

Good ... 'cause University of Pittsburgh football staffers scared the crap out of their team with a fake mannequin -- and the video of the players' reactions is HILARIOUS!!

The team's assistant director of player personnel, Karlo Zovko, pretended he was a dummy wearing a Pitt uniform ... and when guys walked by, he pounced.

Ya gotta watch the video ... some of the players hit the deck, some screamed out in fear -- and one of the dudes even threatened to punch Zovko in the face!!!

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi clearly loved watching it all ... he tweeted out the vid, writing, "Halloween Night, don't get tricked! Hail to Pitt!"

A New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach was brutally socked in the face by a fan after a game last weekend ... and the violent blow was all caught on video.

After the Pelicans lost to the Houston Rockets in Texas on Saturday ... a fan near the court reared back and punched N.O. assistant coach Joe Boylan in the face -- hitting him HARD.

You can see in the video ... Boylan -- who didn't appear to do anything to provoke the man -- flew back and nearly crumpled to the ground.

Immediately, Boylan and other people near the scene directed cops toward the fan as the guy tried to make a break for it.

Cops eventually caught the man -- identifying him as 38-year-old Manuel Garcia -- and arrested him for misdemeanor assault.

Cops also arrested the man's girlfriend, 33-year-old Brittney Aplin ... saying she tried to interfere with officers while they were pursuing Garcia.

Prosecutors say they have no idea yet why Garcia decided to punch Boylan ... but the guy is facing up to a YEAR behind bars for the crime if he's convicted.

As for Aplin, she's facing up to six months in jail for her role in the incident ... and both are due in court to face the charges later this week.

The Pelicans -- who played a game two days after the altercation -- issued a statement earlier this week, saying, "We are aware of this incident but will have no further comment."

Here's ex-UFC champ Eddie Alvarez breaking down Wednesday's big 76ers vs. Timberwolves NBA brawl ... and it's pretty great.

Alvarez -- who was the lightweight champ in UFC and Bellator -- LOVED the way Ben Simmons applied a perfect rear-naked choke on Karl-Anthony Towns ... but thinks there's room for improvement.

So, the Philly native tells TMZ Sports he reached out to Simmons and the two will connect in the next few days for some real MMA training so the team can step up their fight game.

Eddie also has some advice for Karl-Anthony, too -- pointing out the MAJOR mistake Towns made during the brawl that left him fully exposed.

Bottom line, Eddie says he was super IMPRESSED with Ben's fight skills -- same with Joel Embiid -- and he cant wait to hit the mats with the guys.

Another Halloween, another spooktacular day at the office for the TMZ staff!!!

We brought our A-game once again on October 31, with a wide variety of costumes honoring -- or poking fun at -- some of the year's biggest stories and the most notable names.

Robert Kraft, R. Kelly, Tekashi 6ix9ine, Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Taylor Swift and many more celebs were all fair game ... along with the college admissions scandal and the chicken sandwich wars.

Of course, there's gotta be some movie love, and we didn't disappoint with characters new and old like Mr. Rogers, the Genie from "Aladdin," Harley Quinn, Jack Torrance, the dog from "Legally Blonde" and the entire main cast of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

LeBron James and his wife, Savannah, went ALL-OUT for their Halloween costumes -- bringing in some of the top hair, makeup and fashion people in the country ... and the results are AWESOME!

Check out Edward Scissorhands and Medusa ... and no, these ain't your typical Halloween store purchases.

Savannah's dress was custom-made by former "Project Runway" star Michael Costello -- one of the top designers in the country. In other words, dude doesn't come cheap!

The makeup -- which was done by Alex Faction, a YouTube superstar who specializes in recreating famous Hollywood movie characters like The Joker and Freddy Krueger.

The props -- from Savannah's headpiece to Bron's scissor hands -- were made by Ellimacs SFX.

The couple LOVED the final product -- with LeBron posting, "Happy Halloween folks from LeDward Scissorhands ⚔️ & Sadusa."

Hey, beats that weak-ass Luigi mask from the other day!!

Bodybuilding superstar Shawn Rhoden -- 2018 Mr. Olympia -- will return to competition for the first time since being accused of rape ... and it's all going down at Arnold Schwarzenegger's big event.

Rhoden has DENIED sexually assaulting a female bodybuilder back in Oct. 2018 -- but the mere allegations led to the org. behind Mr. Olympia to suspend him indefinitely.

Just a few weeks ago, the 44-year-old had told us he was unsure about his future in bodybuilding ... but now, he's making his return at one of the biggest muscle events of the year.

It's called the Arnold Classic -- every year, the top muscleheads from around the world take over Columbus, Ohio, to flaunt their bods for coveted titles and prizes. It's one of the most prestigious events in the sport.

FYI, the last winner of the Arnold Classic, Brandon “The Prodigy” Curry, earned $130,000 for first place and got a personal congratulations from Arnold himself.

Rhoden isn't just competing at the event, he's one of the faces of the overarching Arnold Sports Festival ... and they're using his face and body on promotional material.

In fact, Rhoden posted the flyer for the event, saying -- "Ready or not here we come."

As for Shawn's chances ... last time we saw him out, he was looking big as hell -- and HAS to be considered one of the favorites to win the event.

Benson Henderson is the ONLY pro MMA fighter with wins over both Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal ... so, naturally, we asked him for his prediction on the 1st ever 'BMF' main event!

First off, Benson LOVES the whole "Bad Mother F*cker" belt concept -- praising the UFC for a "great marketing ploy." He also has a lot of respect for both fighters.

Benson famously defended the UFC lightweight title against Nate back in 2012 -- and won that 5-round fight via unanimous decision.

Then in 2015, Henderson took on Mavidal at "UFC Fight Night" in South Korea and won that fight via split decision.

So, who wins when Diaz takes on Masvidal at UFC 244 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden???

Benson says there's one guy who clearly has the edge if they fight a traditional MMA fight.

But, if these guys REALLY want to prove who's the baddest MOFO around -- and they stand toe-to-toe and slug it out for 5 rounds -- Benson says that changes everything!

Henderson ultimately makes his official prediction. Watch the clip, it's great stuff.

As for Benson's fighting career, the 35-year-old is coming off 4 straight wins in Bellator -- and is scheduled to take on Michael Chandler in Japan on Dec. 28.

Halloween's a lot like all the other holidays in one major way ... celebrities seem to have more fun doing it.

Huge stars like Drake, Kylie Jenner, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Megan Thee Stallion, Jordyn Woods, Sofia Richie, Kyle Kuzma and a bunch more went all out with their costume selections ... which range from hot Disney princesses to Edward Scissorhands.

Of course, it wouldn't be Halloween if some famous folks didn't dress up as other famous folks, which is why Hart went as his pal, The Rock (in his infamous '90s fanny pack look), Kuzma rocked a Blueface costume ... and Drake got done up like his dad.

Click through the gallery ... 'cause you gotta see Chris Hemsworth and his wife, Elsa Pataky's commitment to creepy.

An NBA game turned into an MMA match Wednesday ... 'cause during a bench-clearing brawl, Ben Simmons put Karl-Anthony Towns in a chokehold -- AND KAT TAPPED!!!

The insane scene all went down in the third quarter of the Sixers-Timberwolves game ... when Anthony Towns got pissed over Joel Embiid's aggressive defense.

The two big men pushed and shoved ... and ultimately, EVERYBODY jumped into the fracas!!

At one point -- after Embiid and KAT were separated -- Simmons ended up on the ground on top of Anthony Towns ... and 76ers star began choking KAT out!!!

Karl quickly tapped ... and Simmons let go -- and the whole altercation was crazy/hilarious.

Maybe the best part of the entire skirmish? After Embiid was ejected ... he played it up to the crowd -- AND ANTHONY TOWNS' MOM BEGAN FLIPPING HIM OFF!!!

Cooler heads ultimately prevailed on the court -- the Sixers ended up winning, 117-95 -- but the battle continued to rage on on social media afterward.

"Great team win!!!" Embiid said. "I was raised around lions and a cat pulled on me tonight lmao @jimmybutler I missed being part of the 3rd stringers... I got his mom giving middle fingers. That’s some SERIOUS REAL ESTATE #FightNight #IAintNoBitch"

Didn't take long for KAT to fire back ... "I aIN’t nO BiTcH RaiSeD ARoUnD LiOnS #BitchTalk." He also tagged the location as, "All Bark & No Bite"

Amazing.

Todd Gurley kicked off Halloween with a CRAZY bash in Hollywood -- partying with superstars like Drake and Wiz Khalifa ... while giving away tons of pizza and wings!!

The L.A. Rams running back threw his epic Gurleywood Halloween Bash at Poppy Wednesday night in full costume as Verdine White from Earth, Wind & Fire.

The guest list was sick ... Drake (dressed up like his dad), Wiz (dressed up as himself from the "Never Lie" video), YG, Swae Lee and a bunch of smokin' hot models.

Gurley was having a blast ... but got serious for a quick minute when we asked if he would miss his former Rams teammate, Aqib Talib, who was recently traded to Miami.

"Lib a real one," Gurley said ... "Good dude."

Todd said he's gotten close with Aqib's family and that's what he's gonna miss the most.

But, then it was back to partying, and Todd thanked all of his sponsors before reflecting on his life -- "Man, I used to be broke!"

Todd's come a long way ... the 25-year-old signed a 4-year, $60 million extension in 2018. So, yeah ... he's doing well!!

It was absolute PANDEMONIUM after the Washington Nationals won the World Series on Wednesday ... from the locker room to the streets -- and the video is WILD!!

The players RAGED with a booze-filled celebration ... chugging beer and champagne, while dancing around to Latin music, hip-hop and of course, Queen's "We Are the Champions."

Max Scherzer and Juan Soto passed around the Commissioner's Trophy. While Sean Doolittle busted out a blue lightsaber and did his best Jedi impression. It was awesome!

Out on the streets of D.C., thousands and thousands of people were celebrating Washington's first-ever championship -- climbing street signs, dancing and just partying their faces off.

The best celebration went down at Nationals Park in D.C. (where fans gathered just to watch the game on the big screen). It was pouring rain over there but it didn't stop one diehard fat guy from slip and sliding all over the dugout.

Wanna see what $30,000 worth of damage in a fancy Vegas hotel looks like? Feast your eyes on this disaster!!!

Here's the room Esports megastar FaZe Banks allegedly destroyed during a wild Oct. 13 bender at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas -- and it looks like a scene out of "The Hangover."

Smashed tables. Smashed windows. Smashed TVs. Smashed everything. You get the point.

In footage obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see people still in the room the next morning ... still in awe of the damage. Banks is laying casually in a mostly intact couch.

The problem for Banks -- real name Richard Bengtson -- is that hotel officials weren't amused when they saw the wreckage and went to police.

Cops are now investigating Banks for felony malicious destruction of property, a serious charge that carries a maximum of 5 years in prison.

The good news for Banks ... the 28-year-old mogul is rich as hell (he co-founded the wildly popular FaZe Clan gaming organization) and can easily afford to cover the damage.

Our Vegas law enforcement sources tell us stuff likes this happens in Vegas hotels all the time and the hotel usually drops the case if the damages are paid.

The Rock has moved to the boonies to live in a massive home on an estate that's about as big as the town it's in.

Our real estate sources tell TMZ ... Dwayne Johnson plunked down $9,014,000 for an incredible 46-acre estate about 45 minutes North of Atlanta.

The main house is 14,791 square feet. It has 8 bedrooms, a 12-stall barn, a riding arena with a viewing deck, a pool with a pool house, and a farmhouse built in 1867 that was built for the caretakers.

And, it should be a shock to no one that The Rock paid cash.

So why, you ask, would a world-famous superstar buy a house in a town with barely 15,000 residents? The Rock's fond of small Georgia towns. Back in March ... Dwayne visited his 88-year-old aunt in Jones County and said, "Funny cause it hit me yesterday as I was driving back to Atlanta, that my life is the craziest it's ever been and I didn't know much I TRULY NEEDED to go to a place where things can really slow down for me and I can just breathe."

BUT ... it's not like The Rock will be isolated from civilization ... Powder Springs is just 45 minutes away from the nation's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson International.