TMZ Sports - Page 50

"I've offered him a shot! I said, 'Hey if you want it, it's yours, you got it' and he was silent."

That's UFC champ, Kamaru Usman, telling TMZ Sports he TRIED to make a fight with Conor McGregor happen earlier this year ... but the Irishman was all talk.

"If Conor wants to put my name in his mouth, then come get some."

Kamaru is on a TEAR right now -- running through some of the top fighters in the welterweight division including Tyron Woodley AND Jorge Masvidal.

Conor -- who's won UFC titles at 145 lbs and 155 lbs -- has flirted with the idea of fighting for that 170 lb welterweight belt, but Kamaru says when push came to shove, Conor didn't want the smoke.

"[A Conor fight is] just a lost cause," Usman says ... "because we both know Conor -- the only time Conor gets up to the welterweight division is if he's able to pick and choose lightweights with double-digit losses that he can pick off and not have to cut weight to get down to lightweight."

"If Conor wants a piece at welterweight, he knows who the king of the division is. I'm not going anywhere! I'm right here!"

There was also talk about a possible Conor McGregor vs. Masvidal matchup down the line ... so we asked Usman who would win that fight.

"Honestly, I don't know and truthfully I don't really care. At this point in my career, I'm just worried about me."

Usman says his focus is on getting back into the Octagon and fighting the best in the world -- noting he's still hoping he can lure Georges St-Pierre out of retirement!

Kendall Jenner's hiking cover might've been blown by Devin Booker -- whom she's been dating -- because the dude made it clear ... Arizona was the place to be pre-NBA bubble.

The model posted a photo Saturday of her in a cool looking desert-y, mountainous region with a body of water below. She called it "not earth" from a trip she took a few weeks ago -- but didn't give much more of a hint than that. It could be anywhere on its face.

Now, it appears her recent point guard boo thang might've actually spilled a major clue -- assuming he and Kendall are still hanging out as much as they were earlier this year. Devin put up a few photos himself a few days ago of him hiking at Slide Rock State Park.

It's a place with tons of canyons and with tons of creek beds covering the floor throughout -- and just looking at the photos, we have to say they look kinda similar in scenery.

Of course, Devin plays for the Phoenix Suns -- and presumably has a place out there too. So, if they are hookin' up -- like Kendall has implied of late -- it's safe to assume she was somewhere in Arizona with her guy before he was sequestered away for work.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is NOT retiring from MMA, despite reports to the contrary -- and he WILL fight Justin Gaethje before the end of 2020, so says his manager.

We spoke with Ali Abdelaziz, who manages both Khabib and Justin -- and he tells us straight-up, both guys are on board.

"We have a blockbuster main event [Khabib] versus Justin Gaethje. Two of the best lightweights in the world today in the recent era."

There have been questions about Khabib's fighting future ever since his father passed away from COVID earlier this month.

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov wasn't just Khabib's father -- he was also his coach, mentor and best friend.

"Everybody understands how close Khabib and his father were," Ali says ... "We lost something very important and the UFC's been so awesome, especially Dana. He's been communicating with Khabib, the whole team has been amazing."

Ali says Khabib is "heartbroken" -- "but at the end of the day, Khabib's father has a legacy he wanted Khabib to accomplish."

In other words, Ali says Abdulmanap would WANT Khabib to continue fighting ... to share his talents with the world.

And, Ali believes Justin Gaethje is the perfect opponent.

"We see what Justin Gaethje did to his last opponent. He dismantled Tony Ferguson, he made him look an absolute amateur."

Antonio Brown ain't on an NFL roster yet ... but his personal QB tells TMZ Sports the former All-Pro is "ramping up" his workouts in anticipation of signing soon.

Peter Zamora -- the 17-year-old high school quarterback who's been Brown's throwing partner this summer -- says he's noticed a HUGE uptick in AB's training demeanor recently.

Zamora says Brown has requested more throwing sessions in the last few days and weeks ... this as NFL camps are set to kick off at the end of this month.

In clips from the duo's workout Wednesday ... you can see Brown in full pads getting after it -- running intense routes with purpose.

Zamora says the throwing session went on for about an hour -- focusing solely on short-range throws -- but Brown didn't stop there.

Zamora tells us AB brought the QB out AGAIN on Thursday for more work ... this time for another hour in blazing Florida heat.

"He's in excellent shape," Zamora said.

As we previously reported ... Brown's been angling HARD for months to get back on an NFL roster this season after he was let go by the Patriots amid controversy last September.

Brown has worked out with Redskins' Dwayne Haskins, Ravens' Lamar Jackson and Seahawks' Russell Wilson the past few months ... leading to speculation he could be a possible addition to all three teams at some point when camps begin in two weeks.

Of course, Brown is still under NFL investigation over a myriad of off-field issues ... including allegations he raped his former trainer, Britney Taylor.

A suspension, per multiple reports, seems likely.

NBA prospect Cassius Stanley just copped a new piece that would make the Gloved One proud -- a diamond pendant of Michael Jackson doing his iconic tilt from the "Smooth Criminal" music video!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the projected 1st round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft hit up Clarity Custom Jewelry, a Black-owned business in L.A., to get himself a personal gift before jumping to the pros.

Jeweler Courtney Roy tells us the ex-Duke guard is a HUGE fan of the King of Pop ... so it was easy to decide what he wanted to get -- a pendant in the shape of Jackson's tilt pose from the 1988 music video!

You know what we're talking about ... about 7 minutes into the vid, MJ and his dancers defy gravity by leaning at a 45-degree angle. It's insane.

Roy tells us it took 3 different designs to get it right for the 20-year-old baller ... but ended up with a product that's decked out with white gold and 3 karats of VVS diamonds.

Roy -- who also designed jewelry for Shareef O'Neal and Patrick Beverley -- says this MJ piece is one of his favs and was thrilled (haha, MJ pun) to make it come together.

No word on how much the piece cost ... but the dude's just months away from cashing in ... so treat yo' self!!

Congrats!!

UFC rising star Amanda Ribas says Fight Island was one of the BEST experiences of her life -- telling TMZ Sports she was treated like a princess from the second she stepped off the plane!

Of course, 26-year-old Ribas flew to Abu Dhabi to take on Paige VanZant at UFC 251 -- and after securing an armbar submission in less than 3 minutes, OF COURSE SHE WAS HAPPY!

But, Amanda says Fight Island was a dream come true ... she was treated like a rock star from start to finish -- and LOVED the food, especially the desserts!

Ribas is 10-1 as a pro and her star is exploding right now -- with signature wins over high-profile fighters like Paige and Mackenzie Dern.

So, how does Ribas want to exploit her newfound fame?

She wants to give back to the children back home in Brazil.

"In my city, we have a project there and I'm trying to put more money there to invest in people, invest in children because they are our future."

There's a ring in Clemson superstar Trevor Lawrence's future even if the season is canceled ... 'cause the QB proposed to his longtime GF -- and she said YES!!!

Lawrence -- a Heisman hopeful in 2020 -- has been dating Marissa Mowry since early 2016 ... and decided to pop the question at Memorial Stadium in Clemson on Friday.

Pictures capturing the moment show a fully suited Lawrence get on one knee in the middle of the field and present the ring to a shocked Mowry.

"FOREVER," the 2018 national champ said on Instagram. "You’re everything I’ve dreamed of. I love you and can’t wait to marry you."

Of course, Trevor and Marissa have been together for several years ... dating back to way before he was one of the best players in college football.

In fact, Mowry famously predicted Lawrence would become a champ all the way back in 2017 ... when the dude was still in HS!!

"Easiest YES of my life!!!" Marissa said of the proposal. "I love you always Trevor"

Here's something that'll make you feel REALLY good about your golf game ...

PGA Tour star Bryson DeChambeau just carded a 10 -- YES, A TEN!!! -- on a Par-5 15th hole at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio on Friday ... and it's one of the worst holes EVER by a pro!!!

The entire hole -- from start to finish -- took Bryson 26 minutes to complete ... with 4 commercial breaks!!!

Things were bad right from the jump ... DeChambeau shanked his tee shot off some trees down the left-hand side of the fairway and was forced to take a drop.

He tried to make up ground by pulling out a 3-wood and swinging for the fences ... but overshot and hit the ball out of bounds.

In other words, it went from bad to worse quickly.

Bryson re-dropped -- and instead of playing it safe, he AGAIN went for a power shot to try and get to the green ... and again, he shot out of bounds!!

The announcers couldn't believe it ... especially Jack Nicklaus, who compared Bryson's meltdown to a scene from "Tin Cup" when Kevin Costner's character melts down and can't stop from hitting balls into water.

Meanwhile, Bryson continued to try and power his way back onto the green ... and on his 3rd attempt, he finally got close.

Although DeChambeau was finally out of the trees and in the clear ... there was still more drama -- he claimed one of the OB balls he clanked off a fence earlier wasn't actually out of bounds.

So, Bryson argued with TWO rules officials ... before they finally shut him down.

Eventually, after nearly a half an hour on the hole, DeChambeau chipped onto the green and putted twice for a quintuple bogey!!!

He took so many swings in total, he had trouble counting them all up!!!

Everyone on the broadcast was stunned ... with most guys saying the worst score they've ever carded themselves was a 9, 10 or 11!!

To his credit, Bryson came back and parred the 16th ... but dude now has ZERO chance of making the weekend cut after the blow up.

MLB outfielder Yasiel Puig says he just learned he has COVID-19... and will quarantine for the foreseeable future.

"Although I tested positive, I am asymptomatic, and I feel absolutely fine."

"I will be quarantined until I receive 2 negative test results, which I hope will arrive shortly."

Puig says he's sad about his diagnosis -- "but I believe that everything is in God's timing and that my return to MLB will happen in His perfect plan and timing for me."

"When I return to the field, I will do so knowing that I will have one less hurdle to overcome."

FYI -- the MLB's 60-game season is set to finally begin with Opening Day on July 23 and 24.

Puig says he never believed it could happen to him ... and is urging everyone to "take this pandemic seriously, this can happen to anyone, even the healthiest athlete."

The 29-year-old ended his statement with a reminder to his fans to wear a mask, social distance, and follow your local protocols.

"Please take care of yourselves. I will see you all very soon when I return to play ball."

The felony charges against NFL receiver Kenny Stills and 'Real Housewives' star Porsha Williams stemming from a Breonna Taylor protest in Kentucky have been dropped ... prosecutors say.

But, they're not in the clear just yet.

Stills and Williams were just 2 of the 87 people arrested on Tuesday for demonstrating on the front lawn of the home of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

The group was chanting for justice for Taylor -- they want the police officer who killed her to be arrested and charged with crimes.

All 87 people were initially charged with felony intimidating a participant in a legal process -- and 2 lesser misdemeanors.

The felony charge is a big deal -- if convicted, people face a minimum of 1 year behind bars ... and up to 5 if the judge wants to make a point.

But, on Friday, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell says he is DROPPING the felony for all 87 people, effective immediately.

"After careful review of the law, I am dismissing the felony charge of Intimidating a Participant in the Legal Process against the protestors arrested on Attorney General Cameron's property on July 14, 2020."

"While we do believe the LMPD had probable cause for the charge, in the interest of justice and the promotion of the free exchange of ideas, we will dismiss that charge for each protestor arrested this past Tuesday."

The bad news for Stills, Williams and the 85 other people -- O'Connell says the misdemeanor charges are still in play ... at least for now.

"We continue to review the misdemeanors and violations for prosecution at a later date."

The man accused of sucker punching Dallas Goedert in the face at a bar last month is officially fighting back in his assault case -- pleading NOT GUILTY to the charges Friday, a court official tells TMZ Sports.

30-year-old Kyle Hadala allegedly clocked the Philadelphia Eagles tight end during a bar brawl on June 19 in South Dakota ... and the video of the incident did NOT look good for Hadala.

In the clip ... you can see Hadala uncorks a right hand to Goedert's temple, knocking him to the ground. Prosecutors eventually hit Hadala with two counts of simple assault over the incident.

But, a court official tells us Hadala's attorney appeared in court for his client on Friday ... issued not guilty pleas to both charges, and requested a trial date.

As we previously reported ... Hadala claims he only got violent with the 25-year-old NFL player because he thought Goedert and his crew were threatening his friends and co-workers.

"They picked out my smaller colleague from the group, got in his face, and made very threatening remarks toward his personal well-being," Hadala said.

"Then one of his crew told my other colleague, and I quote, 'You’re just a fat f**king pussy. I'll beat the s*** out of you.'"

Hadala says after those comments, Goedert put his hands on one of his friends ... and that's when Hadala says he jumped in with the right hand.

Hadala claims he was attacked by Dallas' crew shortly after throwing the punch ... and suffered multiple cuts and lacerations as a result.

James Harden says he was NOT making a statement with his Blue Lives Matter mask in the NBA bubble this week ... saying he only wore it because it "looked cool" and covered his beard.

"I just felt like it was something that covered my whole face and the beard," the Houston Rockets superstar told reporters. "I thought it looked cool, that was it."

FYI, Harden has been catching a TON of heat over the mask after social media sleuths found out the mask is called the "Blue Line Skull" -- the design appears to be a nod to Blue Lives Matter.

Harden says he was unaware the mask even had an association with police officers ... and added, "Honestly, I wasn't trying to make a political statement."

James says he's struggled to find face coverings during the pandemic ... because most don't fit over his giant, famous beard.

But, the one he wore Thursday in Florida worked perfectly.

"I just wore it because it covered my whole face and my beard," Harden said.

There was tremendous backlash on social media -- even Trey Songz went after James saying the mask was "certified clown sh*t."

For his part, Harden told reporters Thursday night he was in favor of the nationwide protests following George Floyd's tragic death ... saying, "The marching and everything that we’re standing for is very powerful."

"My daughter works for the team and I sure as hell am not going to allow any of this!"

That's Washington head coach Ron Rivera promising to shut down ANY toxicity in his new org ... this after 15 women came out and said they experienced rampant sexual harassment and verbal abuse during their time with the team.

The women -- per a Washington Post report -- claimed high-ranking execs made inappropriate comments to them, and on at least one occasion, called a woman "f**king stupid."

In fact, some of the ex-female employees say it got so bad ... they would meet up in the bathroom on lunch breaks and cry over their experiences.

58-year-old Rivera -- who just took over the reins as the team's head coach this offseason -- released a statement to ESPN Thursday night ... vowing to change the culture.

"Biggest thing is we have to move forward from this," Rivera said, "and make sure everybody understands we have policies that we will follow and that we have an open door policy with no retribution."

For the team's part ... it has already parted ways with several of the employees accused of wrongdoing in the WaPo report -- and says it's hired an attorney to investigate further.

The NFL, meanwhile, said in a statement early Friday morning it takes the claims very seriously and will work with Washington's investigators to determine the necessary steps going forward.

"These matters as reported are serious, disturbing and contrary to the NFL's values," the league said. "Everyone in the NFL has the right to work in an environment free from any and all forms of harassment. Washington has engaged outside counsel to conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations."

"The club has pledged that it will give its full cooperation to the investigator and we expect the club and all employees to do so."

The statement continued, "We will meet with the attorneys upon the conclusion of their investigation and take any action based on the findings."

Pro basketball star Amar'e Stoudemire is both Black and Jewish -- and says he's uniquely positioned to help "bridge the gap" between the two groups.

Stoudemire has been living and playing ball in Israel since 2016 -- but he's been paying attention to the recent wave of anti-Semitic comments from high profile people like DeSean Jackson, Stephen Jackson and Nick Cannon.

All 3 of the above-mentioned stars have apologized -- but Amar'e says moving forward, there should be a focus on educating young people about the SIMILARITIES between Black people and Jews.

"There's more similarities with the African Americans and Jewish people than there are differences. I went over a few of them -- the Holocaust and the transatlantic slave trade. There's post-traumatic stress between both from those events. Think about all the persecution, it's always the Jews or the blacks," Stoudemire says.

Stoudemire suggests a "lack of leadership" in the Black community has led to many Black people turning to Louis Farrakhan for leadership, which is problematic because of his long history of anti-Semitic comments.

"Amongst the African-American community, there's not a lot of leadership," Amar'e says ... "So, they gravitate to a leadership factor that help keep people off the streets, right? So, Farrakhan is seen as one of their leaders in their African-American community."

"But, I do think, I know with me being in the position where I am where being an African American Jew who's learning at a high level, I think there's a narrative shift that's happening."

"We have to figure out a way to now teach the next generation on positivity."

There's more ... Amar'e explains why he's down to have conversations with both DeSean Jackson and Stephen Jackson.