TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ronda Rousey's been in some of the biggest UFC events in history ... but NOTHING can compare to the pressure cooker she's about to enter at WrestleMania 34 -- so says WWE star "The Coach."

We spoke to Coach with Rousey's 1st official match just days away ... and the "Monday Night Raw" commentator told us why Ronda's facing a situation like no other superstar in WWE history.

"She's been in main events before in the UFC but this is on another level," Coach told TMZ Sports.

"Just the pressure to perform in front of her new peers, because she's coming in and she's taken a very, very lucrative spot at WrestleMania."

Jose Fernandez and a passenger killed in his fatal boat crash were both drugged before the incident as part of a robbery scheme ... this according to a lawyer for the ex-MLB star's estate.

Attorney Ralph Fernandez has filed new documents in the wrongful death case brought against the Miami Marlins pitcher -- claiming he was carrying $15,000 in cash in a backpack on the night of the incident ... which made him a target for thieves.

Fernandez claims he and Eduardo Rivero were "unwitting recipients of a spiked drink or a mickey of sorts" in a plot to disorient them and steal the money.

Fernandez, Rivero and Emilio Macias were killed in Sept. 2016 when Jose's boat crashed while traveling at an extremely high speed. Investigators say Fernandez's body tested positive for cocaine and booze.

The families of Rivero and Macias filed a civil suit against Fernandez's estate each seeking $2 million.

But, Jose's attorney claims investigators found NO evidence of drug paraphernalia or drug residue at the crash scene ... supporting his theory that the player was drugged without his knowledge.

Fernandez also claims the investigative body handling the crash refused to consider the possibility Jose was not driving the boat. For the record, the boat was owned by Jose.

Rob Gronkowski is one of the best damn players in the NFL, and he's sick of not getting paid like it -- so says ex-Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins.

You've probably heard ... rumors have been swirling about Gronk splitting with New England all offseason long -- for reasons ranging from his relationship with Bill Belichick to just being tired of football.

But according to Jermaine, the biggest thing doggin' Rob is his contract.

"I definitely think he's frustrated with the money that he gets when you look at what he does," Wiggins told TMZ Sports.

"He should be getting paid $15-16 million a year, but he's not, so there's definitely that frustration there."

Jermaine says it's obvious Gronk is the league's most dangerous receiver -- "by far more valuable" than top WRs like Antonio Brown and Julio Jones -- so getting paid way less than 'em ain't right.

Josh Norman is so confident he'd take Cam Newton 1-on-1 in basketball, he told Cam straight-up ... and TMZ Sports has the video!

We got Josh after a beach workout in L.A. with his NFL bros Julian Stanford and Demario Davis ... and the stud safety opened on why we keep spotting him droppin' sweat on the sand.

But, things got really interesting when our guy asked Norman about ballin' up Cam at his charity game in South Carolina this weekend.

Turns out, Cam was on the phone with Josh ... and when we asked who the better baller was, Norman wasn't about to back down.

"Me, of course. I'm not gonna say him."

FYI, a bunch of NFL stars are coming out to hoop at Norman's event -- but, is it gonna be bigger than Quavo's Huncho Day?

Did you know ... Josh Rosen has been tight with Snoop Dogg's son Cordell Broadus since the 7th grade??

It's true ... they're still good friends today (after playing together at UCLA) -- and now Cordell is giving us the REAL inside scoop on the QB.

In fact, Cordell says critics who think Rosen would fail in Cleveland are wrong -- and explains why a BIG, FAT PAYCHECK could drive a "millennial" like Josh to greatness in LeBron's city.

"If you give anybody $1 million they'll be mentally stimulated," Broadus told TMZ Sports at LAX. "He could thrive anywhere with the right check and the right dedication and the right determination."

Justin Verlander won the World Series ... Kate Upton is winning at life -- if you use giant diamonds to keep score.

The Houston Astros pitcher let his supermodel wife rock his brand new World Series ring -- on the same hand as her massive engagement ring ... and it's a kind of photo that would make Drew Brees blush.

The World Series ring -- which Verlander got on Tuesday -- is 10.40 carats with 214 diamonds, 16 natural blue sapphires and 9 natural orange sapphires.

The ring has 11 custom diamonds that make up the "H" on the top of the piece -- one for every playoff victory ... and 101 diamonds overall on the top (one for every regular season win).

There are 56 diamonds which surround the "H" -- representing each season the Astros played until the first franchise title.

The engagement ring is reportedly 8 carats and worth $1.5 million.

Good Lord.

Drew Brees is speaking out on his lawsuit against a San Diego jeweler -- saying he trusted the man with $15 million in diamonds ... but "in the end it was all a scam."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Brees sued Vahid Moradi of CJ Charles jewelers claiming Moradi misrepresented the quality and value of several high-priced diamonds over the years.

In fact, Brees claimed he severely overpaid for an $8.1 MILLION blue diamond in 2015 -- which is really only worth about $3.75 mil.

Now, Brees has issued a statement through his attorney Andrew Kim saying, "From 2010 to 2016, Moradi advised [my wife and I] to allocate funds into an alternative asset class of investment grade diamonds and told us that he would use his connections and expertise to acquire them on our behalf at or below market value."

"In an effort to diversify our investment portfolio, we trusted Moradi and invested. Moradi assured us he was being compensated by the sellers for any investment grade diamonds he acquired on our behalf."

"In the end it was all a scam. After thinking long and hard, Brittany and I decided to take this lawsuit on in part because we fear we are not the only ones Moradi has misled and defrauded."

Moradi has denied any wrongdoing -- with his attorney -- saying the fault lies with Brees.

"Mr. Brees's behavior and his belief that he was wronged because the jewelry did not appreciate in value as quickly as he hoped both demonstrate a lack of integrity and contradict basic principles of both economics and the law."

Gennady Golovkin is NOT giving up on a second mega-fight with Canelo Alvarez, despite his positive PED test ... and now has his sights set on a September 15 rematch.

TMZ Sports spoke with GGG's promoter, Tom Loeffler, who tells us Gennady is "100%" committed to getting the Canelo rematch on the calendar ... explaining "that's the main focus for GGG."

Loeffler says Golovkin is still committed to fighting on May 5 ... and his team is searching for the best possible opponent to step in for Canelo.

As we previously reported, Canelo withdrew from the rematch Tuesday after testing positive for Clenbuterol, a banned substance that helps athletes cut fat while maintaining muscle mass.

Loeffler says GGG is "frustrated" with Canelo -- and added that's there's a lot of bad blood between the guys.

UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov just got into an intense, face-to-face verbal sparring match with one of Conor McGregor's BFFs/training partners ... and the whole thing's on video!

Unclear what exactly triggered the scuffle, but Khabib and UFC fighter Artem Lobov crossed paths at the fighters' hotel for UFC 223 in NYC ... and things got REAL quick.

Immediately, you can see Khabib getting all up in Artem's grill as they exchange words in Russian and English ... and their teammates are forced to jump in.

At one point, it looks like Nurmagomedov slaps Lobov straight in the dome before they're separated for a final time ... and Artem walks away.

FYI, Khabib ripped McGregor on Monday, saying he should've stepped up to replace Tony Ferguson at 223. Of course, Max Holloway ended up getting the fight vs. Khabib.

He's not "officially" retired ... but Kristin Cavallari says she's pretty convinced her husband Jay Cutler is finished in the NFL.

"I think he's done," Kristin said on SiriusXM's "The Jenny McCarthy Show" ... "It's not official. But yeah."

Kristin says 34-year-old Jay is still trying to figure out his professional future and noted he has "a few offers on the table" ... but she didn't say if those offers were from NFL teams or media outlets looking for a broadcaster.

Of course, Jay signed a 1-year deal with the Miami Dolphins in 2017 to take over after starting QB Ryan Tannehill went down with a knee injury. Cutler threw for 2,666 yards with 19 TDs and 14 interceptions ... not terrible.

Cavallari has said she supports Jay no matter what decision he makes -- but it's obvious she's ready for the QB to hang up his cleats already.

In fact, she talks about how Jay has been working weekends as an NFL player for years and she's ready for him to spend ALL of his Sundays with their kids.

Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager is going NUCLEAR on Conor McGregor after he didn't answer the call (literally) to fight Khabib at UFC 223.

"He's not really a fighter -- he only fights when he knows he can win," Ali Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports.

Ali continued -- "Khabib is his daddy ... this motherf**ker is so afraid of his daddy."

"It's a shame. All Irish people I know [are] tough. He's the only soft Irish I know."

FYI, Khabib told us he immediately contacted the UFC asking Conor to replace an injured Tony Ferguson ... but was told they had trouble reaching Conor -- who wasn't ready, anyway.

Ali says that proves Conor is a "little Irish punk" -- unlike "real Hawaiian warrior" Max Holloway, who jumped at the chance to scrap with Khabib.

The Canelo Alvarez vs. GGG rematch has gotten the axe -- with Canelo formally announcing he's withdrawing from the fight at an L.A. news conference in the wake of a positive PED test.

Canelo and Gennady Golovkin were scheduled to have their rematch on May 5 after a controversial first fight, but Alvarez got popped for a banned substance on March 5.

At the conference, Canelo said he still blames the failed drug test on tainted Mexican beef -- claiming he ate steak that was pumped full of Clenbuterol. He also vowed to prove that he is not a drug cheat.

Alvarez was issued a temporary suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission a couple weeks ago ... and his official hearing with the NAC is scheduled for April 10.

Von Miller's fishing expedition in Florida has ignited an investigation after PETA accused the NFL star of illegally catching a hammerhead shark ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Miller and some friends went fishing in Miami last week and reeled in the 9-and-a-half foot shark -- which they later threw back in the ocean.

PETA -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- went berserk over the footage ... accusing Von's group of illegally catching and killing the animal.

PETA vowed to follow up with wildlife officials and said they would "ensure Miller is held accountable."

The complaint got all the way to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission -- a government law enforcement agency that regulates hunting and fishing.

We spoke with FWC Public Information Coordinator Rob Klepper who tells us, "FWC has received the images and video and is looking into whether or not a violation occurred in this incident."

Unclear what the punishment would be if officials found Miller broke any laws -- we're looking into it.

Story developing ...

As impressed as Reggie Bush was with Villanova's dominating victory Monday night, he tells TMZ Sports the triumph had NOTHING on the women's NCAA final, which featured an INSANE buzzer beater.

In case you missed it -- and you shouldn't have -- Arike Ogunbowale splashed a three as time expired to put Notre Dame on top of Mississippi State, and the shot was Mamba-Jordan-esque.

We got Reggie Bush out in L.A. Monday night, and Bush says it was THAT shot and ending that was the best in college hoops, and NOT Villanova's easy dominance over Michigan.

BTW -- the big shot by Ogunbowale was her SECOND in two games ... she also hit a long shot in the final seconds to beat undefeated UConn in the Final Four.

Tech-nerd no more!!!

Serena Williams' hubby, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, has traded in his keyboard for free weights and steel chains ... saying he's finally made the life decision to get fit.

But, don't be fooled by the broey gym pic -- he's doing it all for baby Alexis.

"Made a promise to Alexis Olympia Ohanian when I first met her that I was going to start focusing on my health as much as I focus on my business," Ohanian said on social media.

"My legacy is almost starting to talk, so she'll be cheering soon enough."

You can tell he's already made serious gains -- but Mr. "Mediocre at Best" says he's still got a ton of work to do.

No doubt having a workout buddy like Serena helps. Congrats!!

UFC star Joanna Jedrzejczyk had the exact same thought as all of us when news broke that Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov was off -- April Fools, right?!

Wrong ... and Joanna was shook.

"I thought it was a joke! But ... it's not," Jedrzejczyk told TMZ Sports.

Joanna -- the longtime women's 115-pound champ -- said she would've been fine with her rematch vs. Rose Namajunas getting bumped up to the main event at UFC 223 ... but Max Holloway stepping up is even sweeter.

"He saved the card!" Joanna said.

As for Rose ... JJ's got nothing but respect for the woman who ended her title reign, but says she's in for a rude awakening against Joanna 2.0.